|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
it's full of stars
Joined: 26 Dec 2007
|
 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:44 am Post subject: Overpopulation |
 |
|
May seem like a stupid question, maybe it is.
But I've been thinking why are there so many people in Korea?
South Korea is about 10% bigger than the Island of Ireland, but has about 800% of the population. (Figures may be wrong, only ballpark guesstimates)
I found this article, seems reasonable.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99814.htm
It doesn't explain why Asia is so populated compared to Europe, or are they comparable at all?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there are too many people on the planet, I'm just wondering why there are so many? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
I always wondered that. There are several theories rattling around...
* Asian cultures place greater importance on getting married, family and having children
*Korea felt threatened so decided to breed more people to outnumber its rivals
*Korea did not suffer crippling disasters like famine or plague
*The more repressed the social values, the faster they breed
*Rice is extra good value as a food crop
* Having many offsprng is a sign of status and prestige
* birth control measures arrived here much later
umm..who knows?? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
Technology, agriculture, and social systems for the past couple hundred years have supported population growth all around the world, but this won't last for long. Already, many places have negative population growth as young people are finding it not feasible, economically speaking, to have kids. This over populated stuff is only a trend, not something the limited resources of the Earth and the economy can continue to support. Already there is not enough resources to go around while the rich horde it all up. This ultimately will result in lower populations as no one without great wealth with a brain wants to bring a kid into the world with decreasing resources and an uncertain future as we've already seen many tragedies of there being no job and no nothing for so many young adults. There really is a lot of wealth on the Earth, more than enough to support all of today, but how the rich people control it is inequitable.
Someday, Asia will not be so populated as natural resources deplete, economies get weaker as a result of decreased production, and young people don't want to have kids due to the fear of affordability. Things sure have been too good... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
| nautilus wrote: |
I always wondered that. There are several theories rattling around...
* Asian cultures place greater importance on getting married, family and having children
*Korea felt threatened so decided to breed more people to outnumber its rivals
*Korea did not suffer crippling disasters like famine or plague
*The more repressed the social values, the faster they breed
*Rice is extra good value as a food crop
* Having many offsprng is a sign of status and prestige
* birth control measures arrived here much later
umm..who knows?? |
Perhaps having a large number Europeans emigrate to the new world over the past couple of centuries may have had something to do with Europe's current population density?
Ireland for example a had population of 8 million in before the Irish famine which resulted in at least a million people immigrating at the time. Imagine how large Ireland's population would be today if the famine hadn't occurred and the release valve of immigration had been present? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 5:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
The defination of a truly advanced country is minimal or zero population growth. Because advanced economies can support the poor and aged.
Korea has the zero population growth, yet it's not really taking care of it's poor and aged the way it should, considering it's the 11th biggest economy in the world.
The welfare system in Korea is an unspoken scandel. When you see 70 year old women pushing carts of cardboard for 3000won per day....you have to wonder what this government is doing. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:00 am Post subject: |
|
|
| They push people to have even more babies, then they go and lose 4 trillion of invested pension funds for the elderly....Where is the sense? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 2:00 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| But I've been thinking why are there so many people in Korea? |
When I was a newbie back in the 90's I asked the same question. The answer I got was that Korea needed a big population so it could be a major economic power. They thought they needed a domestic market of at least 40 million to be in the same league with France, Britain etc. That's the economic/political answer.
Another factor is tradition. Have you noticed the families with a string of girls, two, three, four, and then a boy and no other children. There is still a strong bias towards having a son.
Somewhere around 2000 the economic realities of raising kids sank in and the birthrate crashed. It went from something like 2.7 to 1.2 or some ridiculously low figure like that.
The point the poster above made is also an important factor. When better nutrition and modern medicine came in, Asians (and Africans) didn't have the safety valve of empty continents to emigrate to, like Europeans had. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oceansdepth
Joined: 29 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:47 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| nautilus wrote: |
I always wondered that. There are several theories rattling around...
* Asian cultures place greater importance on getting married, family and having children
*Korea felt threatened so decided to breed more people to outnumber its rivals
*Korea did not suffer crippling disasters like famine or plague
*The more repressed the social values, the faster they breed
*Rice is extra good value as a food crop
* Having many offsprng is a sign of status and prestige
* birth control measures arrived here much later
umm..who knows?? |
i would think this might have more to do with older generations since the birth rate now in South KOrea is amongst the lowest in the world. i think it is either 4th or 5th lowest.
Here is some stats I got for age groups in S. KOrea:
Population:
49,044,790 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.3% (male 4,714,103/female 4,262,873)
15-64 years: 72.1% (male 18,004,719/female 17,346,594)
65 years and over: 9.6% (male 1,921,803/female 2,794,698) (2007 est.)
Median age:
total: 35.8 years
male: 34.8 years
female: 36.8 years (2007 est.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously there was also a population boom after the war as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
