South Korean “recipe” for fertility: Money to start a relationship, marriage and children
A South Korean city district has come up with a new way to tackle the country’s declining birthrate by paying its citizens to get married and have children.
The Saha-gu district office in Busan is planning a matchmaking meeting in October and is offering 1 million won ($750) to people who start dating as a result, according to the Korean Times.
“This project is designed to overcome the demographic crisis caused by South Korea’s low birth rate by forming a multicultural local community in the future,” said district chief Lee Gap-jun.
The district will hold a blind date for “Korean singles” between the ages of 23 and 43 who live or work in the area. If the couple stays together and decides to get married and meet their partner’s family, they each get an additional $1,490, the Korean Times reports.
Alone
University sociology professor Jung Jae-hoon told Reuters that South Koreans are now choosing to spend more money on themselves instead of starting a family.
They are also the leaders in spending money on luxury goods in the world at $325 per capita.
These measures are not the first initiative taken to increase the birth rate in the country. Many companies have started offering rewards for employees who decide to start a family. Construction giant Booyoung Group is offering its employees $75,000 for every baby they have, Newsweek reported in March this year.
Source: Klix
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Source: bizlife.rs
