South Korea, and the value of every woman amid the birth rate crisis

When South Korean official Kim Hee-soo recently suggested that the country ‘import young women from Vietnam or Sri Lanka’ to boost its birthrate, his proposal was met not only with outrage but also with his expulsion from his party. It was during a televised town hall meeting earlier this month that he made the suggestion, saying that women could be married off to ‘young men in rural areas’. Kim’s statement also caused public anger and protests from Vietnam.

South Korea currently has one of the lowest birth rates in the world

South Korea currently has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, which could mean the country’s population of 50 million drops to half in 60 years. But why does it matter? Countries’ birth rates have an economic impact that, in turn, affects the rest of the world. The Bank of Korea is worried that if the population continues to shrink, there could be a permanent recession by 2024.

Officials in the city of Seoul claim that the high costs of living, an imbalance between work and life, and unaffordable quality childcare contribute to more people delaying or rejecting the idea of marriage and raising children altogether.

READ MORE: Women in South Korea are faced with having a job or having children

In 2024, I wrote about how more and more women in Korea are choosing work over having children because it’s just increasingly impossible to do both, and the system isn’t set up for flexible parenting/working: ’Most jobs in South Korea are from 9-6 pm (sometimes with overtime on top of that). Yejin told the BBC that there’s no time for anything else. Most women come home, clean up their apartment, and go to bed. I love my job, it brings me so much fulfilment,” she says. “But working in Korea is hard, you’re stuck in a perpetual cycle of work.’

Despite a slight uptick in birth rates in Korea over the last year which could be due to some of the government’s initiatives to support young parents, many Korean mothers still describe how hard it is to ‘have kids in a country with rising costs of living, a grueling work culture, ingrained gender norms, and lingering conservative attitudes.’

READ MORE: Why South Korean women are striving for a male-less existence. And why I sort of get it.

If Korean women are deciding not to have children because society has made motherhood and the pressure of work too unbearable, which is one of the reasons for South Korea’s population being in decline, then there is a call for a shift in policy. A permanent financial recession for the nation would be catastrophic, and Kingdom-influenced changes to workplace hours and culture could be the real solution - instead of Kim’s inhumane suggested solution of ‘importing foreign women to boost the population.’

 All women and girls are precious people designed and made by God because He loves and delights in them - no matter what country they are from. 

Even though a swift apology followed with Kim stating that his comment was meant to highlight population issues in rural regions, he admitted the language he had used was ‘inappropriate.’ Imagine how those comments made women feel? Korean women? Vietnamese women? Sri Lankan women?  All women and girls are precious people designed and made by God because He loves and delights in them - no matter what country they are from. It’s alarming to hear of any of God’s precious daughters referred to as convenient baby-machines to boost a population.

God designed marriage and the family to be a beautiful, safe haven in which children can be raised when men and women choose to, so implying that women can be ‘used’ to ‘breed’ more human life is demeaning to say the least. It’s also important to note that having children is a choice. When God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, biblical scholars affirm that this wasn’t just about having children. It was also about subduing and ruling over creation, and our work is one way we can do this as Christians.

READ MORE: K-pop Demon Hunters and the power of redemption

We know that God affirms marriage and singleness as equal in virtue, and Paul and Jesus both remained single. As we think of our Korean brothers and sisters in Christ across the globe, let’s pray for change at the state level so that those who want to have families can do so in a way that allows them to find the joy and pleasure God intended. Let’s pray for those who choose not to have children that they would multiply and be fruitful in the other ways God intends for us - caring for the world through our work, and multiplying disciples by sharing the good news of Jesus. Let’s also pray for policymakers and those who make decisions in government, for positive changes in work culture so Korean women can choose to enjoy being mothers, a fulfilling work life, and time to rest and thrive, as God intended.