South Korean civic leader urges Seoul to restore family values

· UPI

May 10 (Asia Today) -- South Korea must move beyond cash-based incentives and rebuild family-centered values to address its low birthrate crisis, Hwang In-ja, executive representative of the Federation for Korean Families, said in an interview with Asia Today.

"Families must thrive for Seoul to thrive, and Seoul must thrive for the country to survive," Hwang said.

Asia Today: Recent birthrate data showed a slight rebound. Why continue emphasizing the low birthrate issue?

Hwang: "This is not the time to relax because of a temporary rebound. I felt the low birthrate issue was not being treated as a major agenda among Seoul mayoral candidates in the upcoming local elections. We needed to renew public attention. Since late last year, we have been preparing a manifesto with experts."

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Asia Today: Why focus specifically on Seoul?

Hwang: "Seoul's fertility rate is 0.63, the lowest in the country. It is the city where young people gather most, but also where many fear marriage and childbirth. If Seoul changes, other regions can follow."

Asia Today: Why have past low birthrate policies failed?

Hwang: "For more than 20 years, more than 380 trillion won ($273 billion) has been spent, but the impact on the birthrate has been limited. The problem is that policy has failed to see the family as a community. Policies for women, young people and older adults have all moved separately. We now need policies that restore family values and view the family as a whole."

Asia Today: Is this the limit of cash-based policy?

Hwang: "Yes. Financial support is necessary, but it is not enough. Young people increasingly see having and raising children not as a blessing but as a cost and burden. Society must be structured so that forming a family does not mean one's life collapses."

She said schools should strengthen character education that teaches the value of family and that media portrayals of family life should move away from overly negative narratives.

Asia Today: What is the core of the manifesto?

Hwang: "It reorganizes scattered policies from the perspective of the family. It includes generational integration, full-cycle care, work-family balance and housing stability. The most important issue is governance. We need a unified command center that oversees population and family policy."

Asia Today: What are the Federation for Korean Families' next steps?

Hwang: "We will keep watching how much of this is reflected in actual campaign pledges. During the next Seoul mayor's term, we plan to continue monitoring how these policies are implemented. Seoul is only the beginning. We are also considering expanding this effort nationwide."

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260510010002179