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ABSTRACT:
Background/Objectives: This paper attempts to analyze the situation of the Korean government's response to recovering the birthrate and the contents of the Third Basic Plan for the Aging Society and Population, which have been implemented, to determine any changes and draw implications. Methods/Statistical analysis: Based on the theories of low fertility, various documents were collected and analyzed to confirm changing viewpoints of men and women regarding having children. The subjects of this study are the measures to address low fertility pursued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the last decade in South Korea. Findings: The study found that the Korean government seems to be trying to change its perspective in order to solve problems through new options as follows: 1] It suggested a long-term roadmap to ensure consistent implementation of tasks that cannot be completed during the third basic plan period in terms of time. 2] It focuses on the transition towards maturity in which institutions are implemented and cultures for implementation are built. 3] It demonstrates willingness to actively promote social structural reform to solve fundamental problems. However, the third plan was not found to fundamentally differ from the strategies of the existing plans. Improvements/Applications: The paradigm shift regarding measures to alleviate the low birthrate must be further strengthened and focus on the root causes of the low rate. Subsequent studies are needed.
KEYWORDS: Low Fertility, Resolution Option, Paradigm Shift, Total Fertility Rate, Child Birth Promotion Policy.
1. INTRODUCTION:
South Korea(hereafter, Korea)had a high birth rate, with a total fertility rate (TFR) of 6.0 in 1960. In the process of restoration after the Korean War, Korean people began having many children, and the government considered birth control as a way to ensure the country's survival. The generations born at that time are the so-called family planning movement generations or baby boomers. The family planning movement, which started in the 1960s, was part of a policy to suppress the number of births. After this, evidence of the effectiveness of policies began to appear as the fertility rate continued to decline.
The TFR already equaled the population replacement level in 1983. Nevertheless, the government believed it was a temporary phenomenon that would soon recover, and thus continued to encourage repression.1 The government...