PRO-NATALIST POLICIES
The uptick in births has tracked a similar, though less even, rise in marriages going back to mid-2022, official figures show.
Experts said the trend may reflect more positive attitudes towards family among younger South Koreans.
But they differed on what was driving the shift and how important it was compared with factors such as pro-natalist policies.
Hong Sok-chul, an economics professor at Seoul National University (SNU), said the programmes had been “quite effective”.
“Rather than trying to force marriage or childbirth … the government focused on lowering the direct and indirect costs to make these choices more rational,” he said.
Kim Woo-jin, 33, said vouchers she received from the government had “played a significant role in alleviating the financial burden” of pregnancy, childbirth and child-rearing.
She cited a payment of two million won (US$1,400) when her daughter was born last year, a one-million-won voucher to cover maternity fees, and subsidies for transport and post-natal care.
“I believe that the significant improvements (in state support) … played a role in the recent rebound” in births, the office worker said.
MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING
South Korea also pays parents a one-million-won monthly allowance during the baby’s first year, while other policies include low-interest loans for young families buying homes, expanded parental leave and subsidised fertility treatment.
Some companies also hand out large bonuses to staff who have children.
For some couples, though, the incentives have made little difference.
Kim Su-jin, the freelancer, said government support “in reality … provides little substantial assistance”.
“The issue is not merely a matter of a few million won,” she told AFP, citing broader social ills like exorbitant tutoring fees, widespread school bullying and the threat of job losses due to artificial intelligence.
Demographer Lee Sang-lim, also of SNU, said it was “very difficult” to conclude that the latest government policies had caused the upturn in births, noting that several initiatives only began in early 2024 – less than nine months before the increase became apparent.
He said that more than a decade of policies to help boost fertility may have played a role in improving the environment for childbirth and child-rearing.
