This Week in Korean Society

This week’s headlines paint a multifaceted picture of a society grappling with deep demographic, economic, and institutional strains, while also experimenting with policy responses. Housing stability, job security, and the high costs of marriage and childrearing emerged as central factors shaping decisions about marriage and childbirth, underscoring why low fertility remains a structural challenge despite expanding parental leave and childbirth incentives. At the same time, youth faced mounting insecurity―from unstable employment and workplace bullying to dissatisfaction with wages―driving migration to Seoul and even abroad.

Public services, particularly health care, came under intense scrutiny as emergency room refusals, ambulance delays, rural doctor shortages, and unequal access to end-of-life care exposed widening regional and socioeconomic gaps. Social safety nets were tested by issues ranging from unpaid child support and infant abandonment to homelessness and disability employment obligations. Alongside these pressures, policy debates gained momentum, including discussions on basic income in rural areas, national insurance coverage expansions, and regulation of social media for teens. Taken together, the week’s news reflects a society confronting demographic decline and inequality, while searching―often urgently―for sustainable and inclusive solutions.

Dec. 13

• ●Data suggests homeownership, rather than income, shapes decisions on having children The Korea Herald
  While many believe the high cost of raising children is the main barrier to having a baby in South Korea, new government data shows that housing stability is a stronger factor than income in couples' decisions to become parents.
  
  

• ●Engagements that don't start with a proposal: How Korean couples commit Korea JoongAng Daily
  Just before sunrise on Aug. 16 last year, Kim Kyo-hee felt a nudge on her shoulder.
  
  

• ●Youth Rank Marriage Cost Relief as Top Policy Priority The Chosun Daily
  Young people ranked "alleviating the financial burden of marriage" as the top policy needed to overcome low birth rates and an aging population.

Dec. 14

• ●World's lowest birth rate? You may be surprised by these women's struggles to have baby The Korea Herald
  Just after midnight on a frigid Friday in February last year, Noh Hee-young and her husband loaded a tent into their car and began a long, silent drive.
  
  

• ●Koreans in their 20s and 30s struggle to gain employment amid shortage of stable jobs Korea JoongAng Daily
  A growing number of Koreans in their 20s and 30s are struggling to enter the work force, pushed to the margins by a shortage of stable jobs, as well as hiring practices that favor prior experience.
  
  

• ●From forced drinking and singing to dishwashing, one-third of workers report bullying at work The Korea Herald
  A recent survey released Sunday showed that 33 percent of office workers in South Korea experienced workplace bullying in the past year, but over half of them said they did nothing to address the issue.
  
  

• ●Increasing number of deadbeat parents penalized The Korea Herald
  The South Korean government said Sunday it has finalized 283 administrative sanctions against 237 individuals who failed to pay their portion of child-rearing expenses.

Dec. 15

• ●Emergency Appendix Surgery: Only Five Hospitals Nationwide The Chosun Daily
  Last month, a frantic call came into the National Fire Agency's 119 Safety Reporting Center.
  
  

• ●Emergency Room Refusals Double to Over 10,000 Monthly The Chosun Daily
  The number of official notifications to the Central Emergency Medical Center stating that emergency rooms "can no longer accept patients" has been recorded as more than double the figure from before the medical crisis.
  
  

• ●Dignified death more accessible to wealthier people, city residents The Korea Herald
  New research showed Monday that access to end-of-life medical decisions varies depending on income level and proximity to major hospitals, even as the option is widely viewed as being crucial to a dignified death.
  
  

• ●Korea, Japan turn toward each other as both nations stare into demographic abyss Korea JoongAng Daily
  With fertility rates at historic lows and populations aging at unprecedented speed, Korea and Japan are turning to each other for answers, as experts call for bold increases in family-related spending to avoid long-term demographic decline.
  
  

• ●Rural hospitals are short of doctors and not even high pay will attract them Korea JoongAng Daily
  Rural health care in Korea remains unresolved as the government presses for greater regulation to address doctor shortages, provincial hospitals struggle to recruit staff and physicians push back against both rural assignments and proposals to expand medical school enrollment.

Dec. 16

• ●Ambulance Delays Double Amid Hospital Refusals The Chosun Daily
  Last month, on a weekday night, an 80-year-old cancer patient, Mr. A, who lives in Seoul, accidentally pulled out the nutritional supply tube connected to his stomach.
  
  

• ●Paramedics Debate Exaggerating Symptoms Amid Refusals The Chosun Daily
  This is Gangnam Fire Station paramedics. ...
  
  

• ●Jeongeup City Distributes 300,000 Won to All Citizens The Chosun Daily
  Jeongeup City in North Jeolla Province will provide a Livelihood Recovery Support Fund of 300,000 Korean won per person to all citizens in January next year.
  
  

• ●Divorced Koreans cite 'personality' and 'money' as main source of conflict The Korea Herald
  Divorced South Korean men and women said personality and financial issues were the biggest factors that led to disputes with their former spouses, a survey revealed Tuesday.
  
  

• ●From loneliness to rebuilding identity: Inside lives of expat spouses in Korea The Korea Herald
  On a weekday morning in Seoul, a group of women introduced themselves in a mix of accents: Indian, Danish, French, American, German and more.
  
  

• ●President Lee urges gov't to review national insurance coverage for hair loss, obesity treatments Korea JoongAng Daily
  President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called on the Health Ministry to review whether the national health insurance system should cover treatments for hair loss and obesity.
  
  

• ●Job stability, income, home ownership linked to higher birthrate: Survey Korea JoongAng Daily
  Job stability, higher income and home ownership are key factors in correlation with higher rates of marriage and childbirth, a government survey showed Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Nominee for media watchdog to consider social media ban for teens Korea JoongAng Daily
  The nominee for the Korea Media Communications Commission said Tuesday he would consider introducing a ban on teenagers' use of social media platforms to protect underage users from harmful content online.
  
  

• ●Rise in murders involving family has experts calling for stronger state policies Korea JoongAng Daily
  An uptick in suspected murders involving family members is raising calls for stronger care policies and a more robust social safety net.
  
  

• ●'Hard to go back to working in Korea' Korean men head to Japan for jobs, marriage The Korea Times
  An increasing number of South Korean men are looking to Japan not only for employment but also for marriage, drawn by what they see as more stable living conditions compared with South Korea's tough job market and demanding marriage expectations.
  
  

• ●One-third of Korean youth happy with work, wage levels: report The Korea Times
  Young Koreans were relatively dissatisfied with their lives compared with their global peers, with only a third expressing contentment with their wages and working conditions, a report showed Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Korea ranks second globally in average daily steps, data shows The Korea Herald
  Koreans logged the world's second-highest average number of daily steps this year, training only Hong Kong, according to data released Tuesday.
  
  

• ●Youth exodus to Seoul deepens, driven by wage gap and job concentration The Korea Herald
  Despite the government's continued efforts to disperse population growth away from Seoul, a new survey suggests population centralization to the greater Seoul area is intensifying.

Dec. 17

• ●Successful matchmaking program turns rural Daegu district into hotbed of love Korea JoongAng Daily
  A district in Daegu has seen marriage and birthrates rise after launching an unprecedented local government-run matchmaking and support program, which now serves as a model for nationwide efforts to reverse Korea's low-marriage, low-birth trends.
  
  

• ●10-Year-Old Rejected by 12 Busan Hospitals, Cardiac Arrest The Chosun Daily
  A 10-year-old child in Busan who lost consciousness and collapsed was refused transfer by 12 hospitals and fell into cardiac arrest.
  
  

• ●Unemployment Benefit Upper Limit Rises to 2.04 Million Won Monthly The Chosun Daily
  Starting next year, the upper limit of job-seeking benefits (unemployment benefits) provided to support the re-employment of unemployed individuals will increase by 2,100 Korean won to 68,100 Korean won per day.
  
  

• ●Number of men on parental leave pass 60,000 for the first time, signaling successful policy reforms Korea JoongAng Daily
  Three in 10 parents who took parental leave in Korea last year were fathers, with the number of male parental leave users surpassing 60,000 for the first time, according to government data released on Wednesday.
  
  

• ●Parental leave reaches record high in 2024 on increased births, support measures Korea JoongAng Daily
  The number of Korean workers taking parental leave reached a record high in 2024, data showed Wednesday, largely due to a rise in the number of births last year and the effects of government policies promoting parental leave.
  
  

• ●Better measures needed to preven infant deaths despite tougher penalties for abandonment, experts say Korea JoongAng Daily
  Fatal cases involving abandoned newborns continue to occur across Korea even aftr lawmakers strengthened penalties for killing infants, prompting renewed debate over whether criminal punishment alone can prevent such deaths and whether existing support systems for women who give birth under difficult circumstances remain adequate.
  
  

• ●'A matter of survival': Korean president orders review of insurance coverage for hair loss meds The Hankyoreh
  While hearing a standard briefing by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung suddenly called on the ministry to considr making hair loss treatments eligible for national health insurance coverage.

Dec. 18

• ●Korean Medical Association Condemns Health Minister's Korean Medicine Remarks The Chosun Daily
  The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has defined Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong's remarks during a presidential briefing-where she stated that "Korean medicine is difficult to prove scientifically" in relation to infertility treatments-as reckless comments and demanded a public apology.
  
  

• ●Large Companies Take 60% Parental Leave, Despite 17% Workforce The Chosun Daily
  Last year, the number of workers who took parental leave for childcare reasons reached an all-time high, but for many employees at small and medium-sized enterprises struggling to find replacements, parental leave remains an unattainable privilege.
  
  

• ●South Korea's Golden Period for Childbirth Incentives Begins The Chosun Daily
  The number of births has increased for two consecutive years as work-family balance systems have taken root, allowing parents to take parental leave without hesitation.
  
  

• ●Parental Leave Takers Hit Record High, Male Share Jumps to 29% The Chosun Daily
  Last year, 206,226 workers took parental leave, the highest number since the government began tracking such data.
  
  

• ●Study says Korea has too many twins, warns of health risks The Korea Herald
  As the number of twin births and higher-order multiple pregnancies rises in Korea, a study released Thursday called for state measures to protect the health of borth mother snd infants, including policies amied at curbing the growing share of multifetal pregnancies.
  
  

• ●Homeless memorial commemorates 435 deaths in Seoul over last year The Korea Times
  At least 435 homeless people have died in Seoul over the past year, according to a local advocacy group.

Dec. 19

• ●319 Businesses Fail Disability Employment Obligations The Chosun Daily
  The list of 319 public and private businesses that failed to fulfil their disability employment obligations last year has been made public.
  
  

• ●Rural Basic Income Triggers Population Surge in Pilot Regions The Chosun Daily
  The government's pilot project for the "rural basic income," set to begin next month, has sparked widespread controversy across the country.
  
  

• ●Daejeon-South Chungcheong merger proposal raises concerns over sidelining residents, deepening urban-rural divides The Korea Times
  The Daejeon-South Chungcheong Province merger initiative is poised to become the starting point of the Lee Jae Myung administration's response to Korea's demographic decline and deepening regional imbalance.