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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| South Koreans told to make babies | South Koreans told to make babies |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| South Korean government workers are being given an unusual instruction - go home and multiply. | South Korean government workers are being given an unusual instruction - go home and multiply. |
| At 1900 on Wednesday, officials at the Ministry of Health will turn off all the lights in the building. | At 1900 on Wednesday, officials at the Ministry of Health will turn off all the lights in the building. |
| They want to encourage staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. They plan to repeat the experiment every month. | They want to encourage staff to go home to their families and, well, make bigger ones. They plan to repeat the experiment every month. |
| The country has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan. | The country has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan. |
| Leading by example | Leading by example |
| Advertisement | Advertisement |
| S Lights switched off for South Korea's procreation 'family day' | S Lights switched off for South Korea's procreation 'family day' |
| Boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for the government, which is staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs. | Boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for the government, which is staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs. |
| The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the Ministry of Matchmaking, is in charge of spearheading this drive, and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. | The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the Ministry of Matchmaking, is in charge of spearheading this drive, and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example. |
| Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child, and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. | Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child, and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats. |
| But critics say what is really needed is widescale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare and education that puts many young people off starting a family. | But critics say what is really needed is widescale reform to tackle the burdensome cost of childcare and education that puts many young people off starting a family. |
| Your Comments | |
| The cost of nursery care in Korea can be four times that of a full-time university student's tuition. Plus, many parents feel compelled by competition to have private tutoring for their kids, even in primary school. An average family spends up to 50% of their income on one child's education so it's no wonder only the well-off can have two or more kids, and the poorest can't even begin to start families. The emphasis on education here is a bit extreme. David Karaolou, Seoul | |
| Family is of the utmost importance in Korean society. It is difficult, however, to provide an exceptional childhood, a world-class education and a head-start in life to more than one or two children per family. All of these appear to be mandatory to a "successful" Korean life. Without lowering the cost of education, Korea's birth rate will remain stagnant, or in decline. Anon, Seoul | |
| I spend quite a bit of time in Seoul on business and I can confirm that the Koreans work extremely long hours. The young software engineers will work till 0300 or 0500 and then stagger in the next day at 1100 ashen faced. Obviously, this leaves no time for procreation. One Wednesday last year they were all sent home at 1800 for a half day and nine months later two babies arrived on the scene. Now, it is company policy to take a half day (ie stop at 6pm) on Wednesdays, but they tend to sneak back in to get working again.James Mahon, Dublin Ireland / Seoul South Korea | |
| It says something about Korean civil servants that sending people home once a month at 1900 is early. However the likelihood of this resulting in a change is slim. There are plenty of diversions between the office and home. Korea is a very social country where after work dinner/drinking parties are more the norm than exception. It is entirely probable that this effort could have quite the opposite effect than intended. RJC, South Korea | |
| It is normal for women who have a baby to be fired in Korea. Given this situation, women do not want to have a baby. Moreover, the government in Seoul doesn't say anything to support a family. It's quite ridiculous.Seongjin, Gwangju | |
| I am a 30 old Korean man studying and staying in Paris. First of all, I am sick of this kind of show from the government. Young Korean couples worry about the burden of caring and raising children. There are not enough public day nurseries and private ones are extremely expensive. But it's not just the cost of childcare, housing is also expensive and even less affordable on a pension. The most serious problem is in education. The majority of students attend private classes after school which is very costly. Sangwook Lee, Paris, France | |
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