To hopeless problems, hopeless measures. And it’s expensive. In the midst of a very harsh demographic winter that has plunged the fertility rate and created serious social, economic and even defense problems, South Korea has decided to put all its efforts into revitalizing its population pyramid. Its president has acknowledged that he plans to create a special ministry looking for solutions to encourage the birth rate, and more strikingly, officials have sought public input to see what they think about offering large “baby checks.” “To the families.

And being big is not a way of talking. The survey mentioned 10 million won, which is equivalent to 68,000 euros. This figure actually doubles GDP per capita.

A mega “baby check”. The South Korean government just asked its citizens a strange question: What would they think of giving families large “baby checks” to encourage births? A few weeks ago, authorities launched a survey to gauge public opinion about providing cash payments of 100 million won (about $68,000) to families with newborn children.

The measure pursues a clear and complex goal: to rejuvenate a country that is struggling with one of the lowest fertility rates on the planet and where birth rates are one of the issues that cause the most headaches for both central government and local authorities. The consultation was activated by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) via its website on April 17, as stated Chosun Daily it would remain open shortly thereafter until the 26th.

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The measure of a millionaire. At least for now, the idea is just that, an idea, a proposal presented to the public to give their opinion on the matter, but the simple fact is that it has been tabled and jumped to both South Korean and foreign media. — They give an idea about the depth of the demographic crisis in the country. And how far officials are willing to go to reverse it.

ACRC’s own survey acknowledges that making “direct payments” of 100 million won (KRW) could cost the public coffers 23 trillion KRW annually, which would be around 15.6 billion euros. Independent It states that it will represent half of the national budget for maternity policies.

But… What exactly are they suggesting? The survey, which is in Korean, can be accessed at this link. Here ACRC offers participants some options and asks them about their positions. “Would the government providing large sums of money directly to mothers or their babies be an incentive for birth? Direct cash payments of KRW 100 million to mothers (or their babies) would cost the government approximately KRW 23 trillion annually. Considering the number of births in 2023, he thinks this is a good idea Are you?” asked.

a round number. It is no coincidence that ACRC is talking about 100 million won, or almost 68,000 euros. That’s the amount Booyoung, a construction company in Seoul that has been trying to encourage births, recently raised for a similar cause. In a media move that made headlines around the world, the company offered to give 100 million won to employees who decided to have a baby in March. Forbes It states that it has provided $5.25 million in aid to 70 workers who have become fathers or mothers since 2021. His idea did not go unnoticed by the ACRC, which took up the challenge.

Loaded… and hopeful. The measure being considered by the ACRC may be expensive, but South Koreans believe it could be effective. Maeil Business Newspaper It recently repeated the survey’s result, showing that just over 60% of citizens thought a payment similar to the one proposed by the ACRC would encourage births. The result does not mean that action will be taken, but it is still another indicator of the state and opinion of the demographic crisis.

A total of 13,600 people participated in the survey. It is equally important that half of the respondents did not oppose the allocation of funds allocated for similar birth policies to such an initiative. After analyzing the results, the Commission explains: “While the lack of effectiveness of the policy to overcome low birth rates has been criticized, we will verify the effectiveness of the direct support scheme for policy beneficiaries through this survey.”

“National emergency”. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the numbers are not far behind, especially when they are as meaningful as those used by South Korean officials. The country is literally facing a demographic crisis. The situation is so serious that it has already led him to talk of a “national emergency”. There are studies that estimate that with the current trend, the country will add 26.8 million people by 2100; This number is a long way from the current 51.7 million. The worst part is that the policies implemented so far have not had the expected effect.

“The decline in birth rates is accelerating. Experts warn that there may be a crisis in the country’s existence in the future,” ACRC said. The ACRC acknowledges that the birth rate will increase despite the huge efforts and funds spent to encourage baby birth between 2006 and 2021. continues to suffer. “Last year, Korea’s fertility rate reached a historical low of 0.72 and is expected to be around 0.6, prompting criticism about the inefficiency of the measures,” the agency adds. A doubt therefore remains: Should we opt for direct measures, such as the aid currently on offer, or should we pursue a strategy of indirect policies that facilitate access to housing or reconciliation, for example?

Image | Daniel Bernard (Unsplash)

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