YouTuber addressing population issues
Why Korea was singled out
Not just population decline but distribution concerns
Recently, Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, a YouTuber with 21.2 million subscribers, pointed out South Korea’s population crisis.
On October 5, the YouTuber posted a video titled “Why Korea is Dying Out”.
This video discusses the global population decline and the impact it may have.
So why did the YouTuber use a title like “Why Korea is Dying Out”?
The reason is that South Korea is experiencing the fastest population decline globally.
According to the video, the birth rate in South Korea in 2022 is a mere 0.8 per woman.
This is the lowest in the world, and at this rate, the young population of South Korea will decrease by 94% within 100 years.
And this will lead to a population implosion, with people concentrating in specific areas.
However, if we extend the population record section a bit further, this decline seems to be not such a big deal.
In 1950, the population of South Korea was 20 million, and it exceeded 52 million in 2023. If the decline continues, it will be 24 million in 2100.
In other words, the population of South Korea in 2100 will record a figure similar to that of 1950.
Therefore, we need to understand that the real problem we face is not population decline but population distribution.
The proportion of the young population in Korean society is steadily decreasing, and the proportion of older people is continuously increasing.
And this is not just a problem in Korea.
So why is this population distribution phenomenon a problem?
In theory, as the elderly population increases, the burden of support on the younger generation also increases.
To alleviate this burden, people must work until a later age, and the per capita medical costs also increase.
Moreover, the country’s tax revenue decreases, eventually recording a deficit.
In addition, as the number of people using various infrastructures decreases, it may become impossible to bear the cost of maintaining the infrastructure. Among these, the most severe problem is that the government only represents the opinions of older people due to the increase in the elderly population.
If this happens, we will pursue wealth rather than innovation and fail to solve problems that require fresh ideas from the younger generations, such as climate issues.
Some argue that the likelihood of causing climate issues decreases if the population decreases.
However, it will still take 60 years for the world’s population to decrease, and climate change is happening much faster, so we need young people to solve urgent climate issues.
So, how can we solve this population problem?
But this also has many problems.
It is not easy for immigrants to continue to be born when the world’s population is declining, and social and cultural differences between immigrants and existing residents can lead to significant conflicts.
Thus, while the issues of population decline and distribution have emerged as global problems, we must remember that South Korea is at the center and strives to develop effective measures to prevent low birth rates and aging.
By. Cho Eejae
Most Commented