Seoul: The number of births in South Korea rose last year for the first time in more than a decade on the back of a rise in marriages, officials said on Wednesday, bucking a trend for a country battling a demographic crisis.
South Korea has one of the world’s longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates — a combination that presents a looming demographic challenge.
Seoul has poured billions of dollars into efforts to encourage women to have more children and maintain population stability.
The crude birth rate — the number of babies born per 1,000 people — was 4.7, interrupting a continuous downward trend since 2014, according to preliminary data from Statistics Korea.
And the fertility rate, or the average number of babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime, was 0.75, “up 0.03 from 0.72 in 2023,” it said.
“The number of births in 2024 was 238,300, an increase of 8,300 (3.6 percent) from the previous year,” the report added.
Park Hyun-jeong, an official from Statistics Korea, attributed the rise to an increase in marriages as well as shifting demographics.
“The population has seen a significant increase in the number of people in their early 30s,” she told a press conference.
“This has had a major impact,” Park explained.
“Additionally, many marriages that were delayed due to Covid-19 have now taken place, and this upward trend continues.”
Park said the number of marriages last year had been the most since 1996 — “the highest on record.”
The average maternal age at childbirth in 2024 was 33.7 years, Seoul said, one of the highest in the world.
But the fertility rate remains far below the 2.1 children needed to maintain South Korea’s population of 51 million.
At current rates, the population will nearly halve to 26.8 million by 2100, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Experts say there are multiple reasons for the low birth rate, from high child-rearing costs and property prices to a notoriously competitive society that makes well-paid jobs difficult to secure.
The double burden for working mothers of managing the brunt of household chores and childcare while also maintaining their careers is another key factor, they say.
The South Korean government offers cash subsidies, babysitting services and support for infertility treatment.
But the number of births has until now continued to decline.
Neighbouring Japan is grappling with the same issue — it has the world’s second-oldest population after Monaco and the country’s relatively strict immigration rules mean it faces growing labor shortages.
South Korea births rose last year on surge in marriage
https://arab.news/numjy
South Korea births rose last year on surge in marriage
- The fertility rate remains far below the 2.1 children needed to maintain South Korea’s population of 51 million
South Korea’s Constitutional Court to issue ruling on Yoon Suk Yeol impeachment on Friday
- Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos
- Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after
Yoon’s December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule plunged South Korea into political chaos, after he sent armed soldiers into parliament.
Lawmakers defied the troops to vote the measure down and impeached Yoon soon after, but the months of political instability have hit South Korea’s economy and left the country in leadership limbo, even as US President Donald Trump targets the region with tariffs.
The court has held weeks of impeachment hearings to determine whether to officially remove Yoon from office, and then took weeks to deliberate on the case, giving rise to a surge in speculation with some suggesting the justices must be experiencing intense disagreements.
“The president’s impeachment case verdict will be on April 4, 2025 at the Constitutional Court,” the court said in a statement Tuesday.
For Yoon to be removed from office, at least six of the court’s eight justices must vote in favor. Confirmation of his impeachment would trigger elections which must be held within 60 days.
Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans have been rallying for and against Yoon every weekend in central Seoul.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, was detained in January on insurrection charges but was released in early March on procedural grounds. He has remained defiant throughout and blamed a “malicious” opposition.
He is also the first sitting South Korean president to stand trial in a criminal case, facing charges of insurrection over the martial law bid.
“After four long months of waiting, the Constitutional Court has finally responded to the people,” the opposition Democratic Party’s spokesperson said.
“We believe the Court will demonstrate its firm resolve to defend the constitutional order and founding principles of the Republic of Korea by removing Yoon Suk Yeol, the insurrectionist, from office.”
Yoon’s party said it welcomed the court’s move to issue a ruling, saying it hoped the verdict would be “fair and impartial” and would not lead to further social unrest.
The People Power Party “will respect and accept the court’s decision, and after the ruling, both the ruling and opposition parties... must take the lead in easing public divisions and promoting national unity,” Kweon Seong-dong PPP party floor leader said.
If the Constitutional Court decides to formally dismiss the president, it would trigger elections, which opposition leader Lee Jae-myung is currently frontrunner to win.
An appeals court last week overturned an election law conviction against Lee, potentially clearing the way for him to mount a presidential campaign.
But if it is reinstated on appeal before the election, he will be stripped of his parliamentary seat and barred from running for office for five years, including the next presidential vote.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, said the ruling on Lee may have appeared “to many Koreans to be reading the political tea leaves.”
“This is the judiciary trying to unwind the lawfare of the past three years to allow South Korea’s political crisis to be resolved by an election rather than by the courts.”
In a separate case, the Constitutional Court last week dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, reinstating him as acting president – a role he took after the president was suspended for declaring martial law.
Experts said the ruling did not have a direct legal correlation with the pending decision on Yoon’s impeachment, as it was not focused on the legality of martial law itself.
Burst gas pipe sparks colossal fire in Malaysia
- The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for kilometers
- The Selangor Disaster Management unit said that the blaze spread to several houses in a nearby village
KUALA LUMPUR: A colossal fire erupted Tuesday in a Malaysian suburb outside Kuala Lumpur due to a burst gas pipeline, prompting evacuations of nearby homes.
The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights in central Selangor state was visible for kilometers (miles). National oil company Petronas said in a statement that the fire broke out at one of its gas pipeline at 8:10 a.m.
It said in a brief statement that the affected pipeline has been isolated. Three gas stations nearby the fire site were not affected but have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure, Petronas said, adding that investigations are still underway.
The Selangor Disaster Management unit said in a statement that the blaze spread to several houses in a nearby village, and efforts were efforts being made to rescue trapped residents. It added that several people suffered burns and will be taken for treatment, but the extent of the full damage is being assessed, and said that the valve to the pipeline has been shut, and that will eventually snuff out the fire.
The Star English newspaper said that fire and rescue teams had rescued seven victims, including two elderly individuals. No casualties have been reported so far.
Dozens of Selangor firefighters have been dispatched to the scene. Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said the fire department has quickly evacuated residents from nearby homes as a safety measure. He said they will be temporarily placed in a mosque nearby until the situation is under control.
Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt the doors and windows of their homes shaking believed to be due to the fire explosion earlier.
Trump urged to dismiss vaccine-skeptic Kennedy as health chief
- “HHS cannot be led by an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist with inadequate training,” analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald assert
- Kennedy last week announced plans to reshape the federal public health agencies, a move that could involve firing thousands of workers
Analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald, formerly headed by the Trump administration’s Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, called for the dismissal of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, a well-known vaccine skeptic, last week announced plans to reshape the federal public health agencies, a move that could involve firing thousands of workers.
Cantor analysts Josh Schimmer and Eric Schmidt said in a note on Monday that Kennedy was “undermining the trusted leadership of health care in this country. HHS cannot be led by an anti-vax, conspiracy theorist with inadequate training.”
The note came after reports that the Food and Drug Administration’s top vaccine official, Peter Marks, was forced to resign, the highest-profile exit at the regulator amid the Trump administration’s health agency overhaul.
Lutnick, Cantor’s CEO for 40 years, stepped down last month to run Trump’s commerce department. His sons, Brandon and Kyle Lutnick took over as chairman and executive vice chairman of the brokerage, respectively.
“The views expressed in our Equity Research reports are solely those of the analyst(s). As always, we pride ourselves on the independence of the analysts within our Research division,” Cantor Fitzgerald said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The ouster of Marks led to a decline in biotech and vaccine stocks on Monday. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF closed down 3.9 percent.
The Cantor analysts noted the fall in the stocks, but said their note had nothing to do with politics, stocks and biopharmaceutical sales, but with keeping lives out of jeopardy.
They said they had learned from sources that Marks, who was willing to stay at the FDA, took a scientifically driven review of vaccine safety and did not yield to an anti-science agenda that undermined public health. The same could not be said about Kennedy, they said.
The analysts also said the “administration has shown an ability to correct course, to compromise and to make changes where needed,” adding they are “hopeful that the leaders in Washington will recognize and appreciate the benefits that vaccines can and should play in protecting US citizens.”
European countries resist US push to scrap diversity and inclusion initiatives
- European firms reportedly have received a letter saying Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the US
- Belgium's FM Jan Jambon said Europeans have a “culture of “non-discrimination” that must be continued
- Barcelona’s mayor said his municipal government will defy Trump’s attack on DEI initiatives that have included a cultural program hosted by the city
PARIS: US government efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives are not going down well on the European continent.
Laurent Saint-Martin, France’s minister for foreign trade, said on Monday the country won’t compromise after the US State Department said that French companies who have contracts with the US government need to drop diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
In neighboring Belgium, where some companies received similar requests, the government lashed out at the new US rules.
French media reported last week that French companies received a letter saying US President Donald Trump’s rollback of DEI initiatives also could apply outside of the US.
Saint-Martin spoke to RTL Radio following the reports and said French authorities will seek explanations from their US counterparts about the letter.
The reported demands included abandoning inclusion policies that are part of French and European Union laws such as equality between men and women, the fight against discrimination and racism or the promotion of diversity to help people with disabilities, he said.
“All of this is progress that corresponds first and foremost to our French values, we are proud of this and we don’t want to compromise on it,” Saint-Martin said. “We can’t just cancel the application of our own laws overnight.”
French media said the letter was signed by an officer of the US State Department who is on the staff at the US Embassy in Paris. The embassy didn’t respond to questions from The Associated Press.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, speaking to reporters at a briefing in Washington, confirmed that letters were sent.
“This is an effort to comply with the executive order from the president and it is essentially a self-certifying statement to local consulates and embassies,” she said.
Le Figaro daily newspaper published what it said was a copy of the letter. The document said an executive order that Trump signed in January terminating DEI programs within the federal government also “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.”
The document asked US government contractors to complete, sign and return within five days a separate certification form to demonstrate that they are in compliance.
Saint-Martin said he was “deeply shocked” but insisted on the need to have a “positive agenda” and maintain a dialogue with the US.
In Belgium, Finance Minister Jan Jambon said Europeans have a “culture of “non-discrimination” that must be continued. “We have no lessons to learn from the boss of America,” he told channel RTL-TVi.
In a joint statement quoted by local media, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot and Equal Opportunities Minister Rob Beenders regretted the “step backward” taken by the US.
“Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but the foundations of a strong and dynamic society,” they said. “They strengthen our economy, foster innovation and allow talent to flourish.”
In Spain, Barcelona’s mayor said last week that his municipal government will defy Trump’s attack on DEI initiatives that have included a cultural program hosted by the city.
Trump issued the executive order to roll back the programs with federal funding, including those receiving US government aid abroad.
The Barcelona-based program is one of 700 “American Spaces” located in 140 countries. They offer English-language and other courses to adults and children, information and materials about the US and counseling for foreign students hoping to enroll at US schools and universities.
Russian and US steps to normalize ties bring optimism, China’s FM Wang Yi says
- Wang calls for Ukraine peace talks to continue, says China ready to help solving conflict
- Wang said Russia and China bear a special responsibility to maintain world peace
Russia and the United States have taken the first step toward normalizing relations, which inspire optimism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russia’s RIA state news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“Russia and the United States have taken the first step toward normalizing relations, which is good for stabilizing the balance of power between major powers and inspires optimism in a disappointing international situation,” RIA cited Wang as saying.
Wang is on a three-day visit to Moscow for strategic cooperation talks, surrounded by uncertainty around the partial ceasefire in Ukraine and US President Donald Trump striking a critical tone against the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
China calls for the peace talks to continue, Wang told RIA in a wide-ranging interview.
“The step toward peace, although not that big, is constructive — it’s worth building on it,” Wang said. “With peace, it is no pain no gain. You need to work hard to achieve it.”
China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership days before Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and the two leaders agreed in May 2024 to deepen their partnership and cooperate on issues such as Taiwan, Ukraine and mutual rival the United States.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Putin will receive Wang, who will also hold talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Wang reiterated to RIA that Beijing is ready to play a role in settling the conflict in Ukraine, although its peacemaking efforts to date have gone nowhere.
“China is ready, taking into account the aspirations of the parties involved, to play a constructive role in the settlement together with the international community, primarily with the countries of the Global South,” Wang said.
Xi has been pushing for a greater involvement of China in peace talks since the early days of the war, which marked its third anniversary in February.
Beijing has proposed on its own, and together with Brazil, general principles to end the conflict, but its ideas have received a tepid reception.
Wang said Russia and China bear a special responsibility to maintain world peace.
“Our countries, as each other’s largest neighboring states, world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, bear a special responsibility for maintaining peace and development throughout the world,” Wang said.
