Korean Job Discussion Forums

[crsandus]

I'm curious as to know what the population statistics would look like if Korea wasn't the adoption capital of the world during the 80s. I mean, I'm rigt at the age of being married and possibly having a kid by now. I know plenty of Koreans of my age (20s) who were sent overseas for adoption.

If all the Toby Dawsons and Hines Wards (he won the Superbowl MVP in 2006 you know. did you know he was half Korean too?) of the world decided to return to Korea, would this solve Korea's population dilemma or would the sudden surge of adults actually encourage the low birthrates for the time being?

[Octavius Hite]

Who knows but it would never happen because Korea isn't interested in having them back eccept for the 6 months of noteriety they generate. The fact is that those adopted babies have no lineage in Korea thus their offical family roll or whatever the hell they call that thing is incomplete which helps exclude them from many things like good jobs and the civil service. AS well, and we all know this, those adotoptees can't return as full koreans without speaking fluent korean and serving in the military. How many people would immigrate to korea from LA knowing they would have to do 2 years service for 100,000W a month?

[bucheon bum]

[VanIslander]

South Korea is the 19th most crowded country in the world but it's a lot less so if you look long term as Koreans do and include North Korea, the other half of the divided nation. Someday Southerners will spill over the borders and create expensive highrises for millions in the North and it'll be Southerners who'll be able to afford them the most.

Moreover, Korean couples need to have more than 2 children per capita just to break even, let along get ahead with the aging population, as mentioned earlier in this thread. Government incentives to encourage childrearing might fill part of the gap but is almost certainly not going to create a 2.5+ per couple growing population base. So this is a nonissue.

[pavement burns]

Your discussion appeared to warrant an excerpt from my most recent research.

KOREAN DEMOGRAPHIC UNCERTAINTIES

Q: Will the Korean birth rate continue to decline? A: Medium yes.

A preference for male children is a common cultural trait among East Asians and Koreans are no exception. Thus it is a significant factor in demographics which requires further influence of government and civil organizations to stimulate population policymakers. Research indicates that, �child sex determination and sex-selective abortion were available and affordable to South Korean households as early as the late 1970s before the unbalanced sex ratio became widely recognized as a social problem� (Lee & Paik, 2005:19). It also represented a peak period in abortion rates of male and female fetuses. Noticeable over the last decade are mobile vans which patrol regional rural areas emblazoned with banners and bullhorns advertising �Vietnamese virgins� or the like from developing south-east Asian nations as suitable international marriage partners. The rural Korean agricultural population has also seen some of the most rapid and present declines in locally available women for marriage to bachelor farmers or low-skilled, low income single men. Such areas also provide some of the highest rates of aging in Gangwon and Cholla Provinces for example women once locally available have relocated to the cities to take advantage of increases in more competitive rates for employment and the higher earning potentials of suitable urban males as marriage partners. International marriages have increased from 1.2 % as of 1990 to 13.6% of national totals in 2005; foreign brides have represented only 0.2% and 9.9% of those statistics (Kim, J., 2007: 12) which provokes a claim that a, �continuing decline of fertility below the replacement rate since 1983 is accompanied by�changes in �various aspects of fertility including�delay in marriage and childbearing, an increase in�childlessness and (a) movement toward�gender equity at birth� (Ibid., 2007: 24). Additional externalities claim the cost of having a child in 2005 amounted to 124% of the rate of GDP per person in Korea and that this greatest impediment to increasing birth rates locally is a concern over cost absorption. At the same time, increasing immigration rates and tax rates would mitigate the costs to raising children especially if a platform for competition will positively affect perceived rankings in global living standards which many Koreans observe in evaluating the success of an export market focus. A shift in policy could take place which might prove quite innovative and creative despite a perception that Koreans are not particularly good at either.

Q: Will the proportion of older Korean workers continue to increase?
A: Medium yes.

Per capita GNP as of 2004 stood at USD 14, 462 which represents a total governmental tax income not currently exceeding 20% to provide for social welfare programs and national pension benefits of which many recipients total incomes often provide lower than actual living costs (Kim, J.S., 2007). In addition, citizens requiring social assistance have increased four fold since 1995 of which the majority are elderly recipients who remain at home representing 26% of national social support and 29% of total rural clients in a ratio which represents 2.7% of the total Korean population and a rate approximately ten times higher than comparative Japanese statistics supplemented by a ratio of total elderly approaching 8.4% living in below subsistence poverty. Concurrently such increases in aging and elderly pension disbursements cause concern that the National Pension will go bankrupt much sooner than a previously anticipated date of destruction as of 2050. Concurrently 36% of the elderly are supported financially by their children and a further 69% of that total or 40% of the entire retired population already continues to earn an income from some form of work just to maintain a minimum poverty line existence. While the vast majority continues to live independently nursing care facilities have mushroomed in local terms from 18 in 1990 to 341 in 2004. Incredibly it is further noted that elderly over the age of eighty already represent income from work which accounts for 47.7% of their earnings and only 74.6% of these totals receive any form of support from their children. A final note regards the costs of securing minimum social welfare which will only be multiplied exponentially in the event of possible impending reunification outlays if Germany actually does serve as a reasonable cost benefit model for the Korean case. The dynamism of the Korean economy predicates a difficulty and uncertainty to anticipate policy changes. Therefore the possibility exists that a radical transformation of immigration policy could take place to rescue the aged and infirm from perpetual work-life cycles.

[No_hite_pls]

The thing with nice scenery is that you cant package it, sell it and feed people from the profits. [quote]

Sure you can, The last time I checked tourism is the largest industry in the world. Industrial, over populated, polluted countries will lose trillions of dollars in tourist revenue + have to pay more on health care and will have a less productive, more sick population.

[Milwaukiedave]

This is a very interesting discussion. I had someone on Yahoo Answers ask me about the population growth and whether Korea would be in trouble if the birthrate doesn't go up.

The other thing to consider in this discussion is how women are treated in Korea. For the most part there is a lot of pressure on them to marry and have children, versus having any kind of career. I think this is a major mistake on the part of Korean society as women can contribue in other ways to businesses and education that will help the country.

I've had this discussion with my wife a few times. I feel like women are bascially baby factories and as soon as they are married both the wife's and husband's father expect her to start churning out those kids. My wife agrees with me 100% that this is wrong. Sure there is something to be said for thinking of the goals of the overall country, but to act like women have no right to not have kids is crazy at best.

[jinju]

[quote="No_hite_pls"]The thing with nice scenery is that you cant package it, sell it and feed people from the profits.

[Octavius Hite]

Jinju, take a pill man, you're going to have a stroke.


If I were Minister of Tourism in Korea I would make Jeju a foriegner only Island were drugs, sex and gambling aren't illegal. Like an Asian amsterdam, now thats something you could sell to foriegners.

Alas, thats just my dream island, but a man can dream.

[jinju]

[Octavius Hite]

Of course Korea will never be a real tourist destination for so many reasons that are always being replayed on this site. And unfortunatly my idea of Paradise Island is unlikely to pass muster with a country that thinks weed is the same as herion. Alas, a man can dream.