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Korean media: South Korean officials appeal to attract forei
Date：2025-03-01 06:50Editer：adminRead（）
[Li Zhiyin, Special Correspondent of the Global Times in South Korea] According to the report of Yonhap News Agency on the 18th, South Korean government officials in charge of population policy pointed out on the same day that in order to resolve the crisis of fewer children and aging, South Korea should not only improve its fertility rate, but also explore plans to attract more foreigners to work and live in South Korea.
Zhou Henghuan, Vice Chairman of the Social Commission for Low Birth and Aging in South Korea, said on the 18th when attending the seventh Population Strategy Forum in Seoul that the number of foreigners in South Korea will reach 2.65 million in 2024, accounting for 5% of the total population of South Korea, which indicates that South Korea has entered a multicultural society. However, Zhou Henghuan believes that South Korea has not yet created an environment suitable for foreign talents to settle down. According to the talent attraction indicators of the 38 member countries of the OECD, South Korea ranks only 25th in terms of the number of experts introduced, at a mid to lower level. He stressed that in order to solve the social crisis caused by the declining fertility rate and the aging population, it is far from enough to rely on the birth incentive policy alone. It is necessary to think about ways from a more comprehensive and comprehensive perspective, such as attracting more foreign talents, especially cutting-edge industrial talents and young labor, and taking innovative measures to promote social integration.
Currently, South Korea is facing severe demographic changes. Due to changes in social attitudes and lifestyles, coupled with the severe employment situation and high housing prices, many young Koreans choose to postpone or give up getting married and having children. The Social Commission for the Aged with Low Fertility estimated that the total fertility rate of South Korea in 2024, that is, the average number of children born per woman of childbearing age, is 0.75, far below the 2.1 required to maintain the stability of the national population. In 2023, South Korea will become one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world, with a total fertility rate of only 0.72. South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol declared a "population emergency" in June last year, emphasizing the need to fully address the issue of low birth rates. During this period, the South Korean government invested heavily in subsidies and welfare policies related to childbirth, and many South Korean companies also issued maternity bonuses to their employees, actively taking the lead in solving the problem of low birth rates.
Previously, South Korea had taken many measures to solve the population problem. For example, in terms of fertility policies, a series of policies have been introduced, including extended leave, tax reductions, housing security, and support for childbirth and child rearing, aimed at increasing the fertility rate. In terms of attracting foreign workers, not only has the industry access increased, but the employment quota has also tripled within three years. Training institutions have also been established in Southeast Asia to acquire professional talents in the shipbuilding field. In addition, the South Korean Ministry of Education has announced the implementation of the "300000 Study Abroad in South Korea" plan, which aims to attract overseas talents to study and work in South Korea by expanding ways to attract international students, combining local policies to attract students needed by industries, strategically attracting students from high-tech and emerging industries, and exploring potential study abroad needs and establishing cross departmental cooperation mechanisms.