South Korea's birth rate hit an all-time low of 0.72 last year, falling below the previous year for 8 consecutive years. The number of children born last year was the lowest on record at approximately 230,000, and has decreased by nearly half compared to 10 years ago.
President Yoon Seong-yeol has expressed a sense of crisis, saying, ''We must identify the causes and take countermeasures on a different level than in the past.'' The ruling and opposition parties are promoting measures to combat the declining birthrate.