South Korea to create new ministry to tackle plummeting birth rate (Yahoo/9 May 2024)

Yahoo reports that South Korea has announced the creation of a new ministry, the "Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-Planning," to address the country's declining birth rate, calling it a "national emergency." The ministry aims to tackle factors such as the high financial and emotional burdens of raising children, career concerns, and the high cost of living, which have led to a record low fertility rate of 0.72 in 2023. The government will provide financial incentives and support to encourage childbirth as part of this initiative.