Koreans will be able to arrange romantic dates at state expense.
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In South Korea, the situation with regard to family affairs is simply disastrous. Neither young people there, nor those who have already reached their forties, stubbornly refuse to marry and have children. The birth rate is falling every year; in 2023, it fell by 8%, reaching a catastrophic rate of 0.7, the lowest on the planet. In other words, there is less than one child for every Korean woman of childbearing age. If this continues, the country risks losing half of its population by the end of the century.
What to do? An original way to correct the terrible situation was found in one of the municipal districts of the port city of Busan. The local authorities have promised to pay a bonus of 500,000 won (35,000 rubles) to those couples who, having met each other on the Internet, decide to meet and have a first date. If the relationship continues and an introduction to the parents is made (this is a historic event in Korea), the reward will increase by another million won (70,000 rubles). Well, as for the wedding, the newlyweds will receive 20 million at once (1.38 million of our money). And as a bonus, the authorities undertake to pay them part of the rental costs.
Moreover, not only Koreans themselves can benefit from the innovation, but also foreigners (those who are interested, take note). It is true that one person in such a couple must still have Korean citizenship. The event is open to men and women between the ages of 23 and 43, who must live or work in Busan.
But will the authorities miscalculate? This is a risky move: Skeptics predict that couples may collude and feign affection in order to earn extra money without burdening themselves with subsequent marriages. And most importantly, these generous donations ultimately do not encourage the birth of children.
“The democratization of traditional Confucian society, which South Korea has experienced over the past 30 years, unexpectedly turned into the collapse of many of the foundations of life for its citizens,” Evgeniy Kim, a senior researcher at the Institute of China and Asian Countries, told KP. – Among young people, the interests of career and personal enrichment prevailed, and family interests faded into the background. Women feel free from the need to continue childbirth – statistics show that 42% of potential mothers aged 25-45 do not want to get married and have children. In addition, intimate relationships without marriage are no longer considered a sin in Korea. There is also a purely national feature that does not favor motherhood – frequent alcohol consumption. From time immemorial, the possibility of drinking there was considered a symbol of prosperity, as alcohol was expensive. Now that people have money, this idea has turned into a bad habit. Unfortunately, many women are also susceptible to it. To improve the situation, the South Korean government is now considering stimulating the birth rate, including through payments similar to our maternity capital program.
