Low birth rates in South Korea forces closure of 4000 schools
@ogbenishyna44 (1152)
January 5, 2026 3:53am CST
Low population or birth rate seems to be hitting South Korea hard as majority of the people are refusing to have kids. This has forced the government to shut thousands of schools , and many companies may be forced to shut down as manpower reduces. Is there a way the country can get out of this situation?
4 people like this
4 responses
@DaddyEvil (166996)
• United States
5 Jan
Lower birth rates in the US, especially in rural areas are also causing school closures here or consolidation of rural schools into each other.
I know several of the rural schools in Missouri have been closed due to lack of incoming students.
We needed lowered birth rates to control overpopulation of the earth... I don't see this as a bad thing.
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@ogbenishyna44 (1152)
•
5 Jan
Well , countries like Japan and Korea still rely on aged people to work in their factories and that can create a problem.
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@DaddyEvil (166996)
• United States
5 Jan
@ogbenishyna44 Yes, it will until they assign people to work in those factories instead of letting them choose their careers.
@AmbiePam (111984)
• United States
5 Jan
Japan is having the same problem. I think financial incentives, more maternity leave, and bigger tax breaks might be a good start. People can say well, the earth has too many people anyway. This is not a good thing for these individual countries, and is hurting them. There aren’t enough younger people to care for the older, and their economy also suffers.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (111984)
• United States
5 Jan
@ogbenishyna44 Japan has those in place right now (except taxes), and birth rates have improved slightly. In the long run, there just isn’t much you can do.
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@rsa101 (40607)
• Philippines
5 Jan
I think Japan has this same problem too. They even have towns that are all seniors and no students anymore. I guess they have to provide incentives rather than penalized people to reproduce and may e provide a better healthcare benefit to those who are willing to make family of their own. I think the cost of having children is a bit costly that’s why they aren’t keen on doing so.
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@rsa101 (40607)
• Philippines
6 Jan
@ogbenishyna44 That is also being considered too since they seem to be strict about allowing immigrants to live there for longer periods of time. I heard in Japan they allow and even provide housing since there are plenty of vacant houses in certain rural areas of Japan. But of course they seem not to be interesting since they are remotely located. Except for those who are looking for that kind of place.
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@ogbenishyna44 (1152)
•
6 Jan
Yea costs of raising children there are high. They should consider allowing immigrants into the country too.
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@ogbenishyna44 (1152)
•
5 Jan
I guess its all over all provinces in the country.
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