Falling birth rate has become a major concern for Korea's rapidly aging demographics and its national economy. The lack of child-rearing support and gender equality issues compel working women in fertility age to do without babies or even remain single, surveys show.
"Fellow Koreans, we ask for your hearty support and cooperation to achieve this sacred mission which will save the nation and save the people," said Cho Yong-gi, founder of the Yoido Full Gospel Church and chairman of the campaign, roughly translated "National Movement for Fertility Encouragement," in an opening speech.
A South Korean woman gives birth to 1.22 children on average, less than half the world birth rate, 2.54, according to the 2009 report by the United Nations Population Fund. The Korean figure was the second lowest among 185 countries surveyed, next only to Bosnia and Herzegovina with 1.21.
First lady Kim Yoon-ok, a Christian like her husband President Lee Myung-bak and who has four children, was named honorary chairperson for the movement. She recounted the dramatic reversal of the Korean demographic atmosphere which only a generation ago, urged women to have no more than one or two babies to tackle the post-Korean War baby boom.
"I was called 'barbarian' to have four children and was even deprived of insurance benefits," Kim said with a smile at the ceremony held at the Press Center.
"Happiness and hope will be hard to find if we can't hear the children's smiles," she said. "The reason why we live through our hardships and strive to make a better world is because we have responsibility for the future of our children."
The movement attempts to encourage women in fertility age to have at least two children by providing more nurseries and day-care homes through church and other religious facilities. It will also provide support to companies with female workers and raise anti-abortion campaigns.
//Yonhap
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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