Preordained dystopia

KIM GYEOUL
The author is a writer and a book YouTuber.

The governing and opposition parties announced measures to address low birthrates as their first pledge for the April 10 parliamentary elections. The issue is nothing new. But will the measures be effective this time?

Upon hearing about these promises from a reporter, I asked, “Are they paying money again?” The reporter said, “Yes, that’s the general idea.”

Do people have children if they are paid money? At least friends around me — more specifically, those who were born in the 1990s and are considered the country’s last hope — have no intention of having children. And my friends not just worried about money.

“Half Generation is Coming” (2023) is a portrayal of Korea from young people’s perspectives, drawn by 27 reporters. In the future, all parts of Korean society will have collapsed or changed — not only pensions and real estate but also employment, medical care, politics and national defense.

The young generation is burdened with deep skepticism and despair. Long working hours and commutes make dating and marriage burdensome, and the infinite competition that children will face feels heavy. People don’t want to waste their career. Policies should look into these feelings closely.

Laurent Toulemon, a senior researcher at INED in France, suggests in the book that, “The environment in which parents are unable to take care of their children because of work must change. And women, who bear the burdens of childbirth and childcare, should be assured that their lives won’t be ruined after having children. To this end, gender discrimination must be eliminated at home and in the workplace.

“Finally, it is important to free parents from the obsession with becoming ‘good parents.’ The responsibility of childcare and education should be on the state, and fair and equal opportunity for education must be provided.”

In short, the constitution of Korean society needs to change. Will it be possible? If not, the low birthrate cannot be resolved.