The South Korean authorities are seeking to implement new laws to counteract the country’s low birth rate, which is the lowest in the world. These initiatives, however, have generated criticism from various sectors of society. Among the proposals are exempting men who have at least three children before the age of 30 from compulsory military service, granting tax benefits to fathers based on the number of children, and allowing wages below the legal minimum for foreign domestic workers.
Women’s rights activists have criticized the proposals, claiming that the problem lies not in the low birth rate but in discrimination against women. They demand a society in which women’s careers are not interrupted after childbirth and in which men share childcare and household chores. On the other hand, the opposition Justice Party has called the labor changes “modern slavery” and said the measure aims to legalize racial discrimination. Labor unions have also expressed their opposition to the initiatives, deeming them “anarchistic.”
Lawmaker Cho Jung-hun of the Transition Korea party, one of those who introduced the bills, has advocated the need for “a realistic solution for the younger generation, where dual-income families are the norm.” In addition, proponents of the measure that would make working conditions for foreigners more precarious argue that providing food and shelter is an improvement compared to the working environment they would have in their home countries.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has blamed the low birth rate on feminism, while National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo has pointed to homosexuality as a factor. These statements have also generated criticism from various sectors of society.