Because young Koreans still hate Korea (Hankyoreh/26 Sep 2024)

Hankyoreh editorial explores how South Korea’s low birth rate reflects young people’s despair and desire to escape what they perceive as an oppressive society. Despite policies aimed at boosting birth rates, many youths still view Korea as a place of unfair competition and limited opportunities, leading some to leave the country in search of better work-life balance and respect for different ways of living. It argues that without addressing these underlying issues, efforts to increase the birth rate will remain ineffective.