The Failure of Moon Jae In Governmental Policy to Solve the Declining Birth Rate
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19184/jfgs.v5i2.53734Keywords:
Birth Rate, Public Policy, Constructivism, Social Norms, South KoreaAbstract
The declining birth rate in South Korea has become a crucial issue affecting the country’s demographic balance since the early 2000s. This study analyzes the failure of birth rate policies during President Moon Jae In’s administration using Ted Hopf’s constructivism approach, which emphasizes the role of identity, norms, and social constructions in shaping public policies. the result show that despite the implementation of policies such as financial assistance and the recognition of non-traditional families, their effectiveness remains limited. the dominance of social norms emphasizing the importance of marriage before having children, along with changing social values that encourage younger generations to delay marriage, are key factors hindering policy success. therefore, more responsive policies that adapt to social dan cultural shifts are needed to address the declining birth rate more effectively. This study contributes to understanding the relationship between social norms, cultural identity, and social constructions in public policy formulation in South Korea. it also provides insights for policymakers in addressing demographic challenges in the future.
Downloads
References
An, D., Lee, S.-L. and Woo, H. (2022) ‘Marriage Intention among Korean Young Adults: Trends and Influencing Factors’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(14), p. 8557. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148557.
Bae, G. (2023) South Korea’s military has a new enemy: Population math, CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/30/asia/south-korea-birth-rate-military-strength-intl-hnk-ml (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
BBC (2020) ‘Chen: EXO’s Kim Jong-dae confirms he’s getting married’, BBC Newsround, 13 January. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/newsround/51088746 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Bedford, O. and Yeh, K.-H. (2019) ‘The History and the Future of the Psychology of Filial Piety: Chinese Norms to Contextualized Personality Construct’, Frontiers in Psychology, 10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00100.
Cho, K.A. (2021) ‘Korea’s low birth rate issue and policy directions’, Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing, 27(1), pp. 6–9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2021.02.16.
Donghun, Y. (2023) ‘Analytical Research for Marriage Delay in South Korea’, Post-Print [Preprint]. Available at: https://ideas.repec.org//p/hal/journl/hal-04132974.html (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Hopf, T. (1998) ‘The Promise of Constructivism in International Relations Theory’, International Security, 23(1), p. 171. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/2539267.
Hopf, T. (2002) Social Construction of International Politics: Identities & Foreign Policies, Moscow, 1955 and 1999. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
IHME (2024) The Lancet: Dramatic declines in global fertility rates set to transform global population patterns by 2100, www.healtdata.org. Available at: https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-dramatic-declines-global-fertility-rates-set-transform (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Index Korean (2024a) 결혼에 대한 견해, index.go.kr. Available at: https://www.index.go.kr/unify/idx-info.do?pop=1&idxCd=5061.
Index Korean (2024b) 결혼하지 않는 이유, index.go.kr. Available at: https://www.index.go.kr/unity/potal/indicator/IndexInfo.do?cdNo=260&clasCd=12&idxCd=H0014&upCd=6.
Index Korean (2024c) 저출생 통계지표, 지표누리. Available at: https://www.index.go.kr/unity/potal/indicator/IndexInfo.do?classCd=%2012&idxCd=H0007&upCd=3 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Index Korean (2024d) 초혼연령, index.go.kr. Available at: https://www.index.go.kr/unity/potal/indicator/IndexInfo.do?clasCd=10&idxCd=F0023#.
Jeong-won, S. (2023) “초등학교 폐교 이제 놀랍지도 않네”…입학생 수 역대최저라는데, 매일경제. Available at: https://www.mk.co.kr/news/society/10889676 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Ji-Ye, K. (2024) Historic elementary schools face closure as enrollments nosedive, Kore JoongAng Daily. Available at: https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2024-03-05/national/socialAffairs/Historic-elementary-schools-face-closure-as-enrollments-nosedive/1995073 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Jun, K.H. (2005) ‘The transition to sub-replacement fertility in South Korea: Implications and prospects for population policy’, The Japanese Journal of Population, 3(1), pp. 26–57.
Kim, N., Mosler, H. and Kalinowski, T. (2022) South Korea Report. Sustainable Governance Indicators 2022. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung. Available at: https://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/doi/10.11586/2022117 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
KOSIS (2023) 인구피라미드|Piramida Penduduk, kosis.kr. Available at: https://kosis.kr/visual/populationKorea/PopulationPyramidDetail.do?year=2023 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Lally, K. (2022) ‘The N-Po Generation: The Struggle with Housing Insecurity in Seoul for the “Numerous Giving Up Generation”’, Wittenberg University East Asian Studies Journal, 45, pp. 23–37.
Lee, C.M. and Botto, K. (2021) Demographics and the Future of South Korea, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Available at: https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2021/06/demographics-and-the-future-of-south-korea?lang=en (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Lee, S. and Choi, H. (2015) ‘Lowest-Low Fertility and Policy Responses in South Korea’, in Low and Lower Fertility. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 107–123. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21482-5_6.
Mahmoudi, K.M. (2017) ‘Rapid Decline of Fertility Rate in South Korea: Causes and Consequences’, Open Journal of Social Sciences, 05(07), pp. 42–55. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2017.57004.
Manek, B.G.A. (2023) ‘Confucian Historical Narratives and Misogynic Culture in South Korea’, Journal of Asian Social Science Research, 5(1), pp. 49–62. Available at: https://doi.org/10.15575/jassr.v5i1.73.
Maynard, M. (2022) The Long-Term Decline in Fertility—and What It Means for State Budgets, Pew. Available at: https://pew.org/3VfmME1 (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
OECD (2021) Share of births outside of marriage. Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Available at: https://webfs.oecd.org/els-com/Family_Database/SF_2_4_Share_births_outside_marriage.pdf.
OECD (2023) Fertility Rates, OECD. Available at: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/fertility-rates.html (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Pramono, S. and Purwono, A. (2010) ‘Konstruktivisme dalam Studi Hubungan Internasional: Gagasan dan Posisi Teoritik’, Spektrum, 7(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.31942/spektrum.v7i2.485.
Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy (2006) ‘저출산고령사회 기본계획 (보완판) | Plan for Ageing Society and Population | 새로마지플랜 2010’. Korean Government. Available at: https://www.betterfuture.go.kr/web/viewer.html;jsessionid=6289A9D602BAF9AD5A18520503D617C8.node20?magazineMode=true&file=/upload/data/basicPlan/20235/basicPlan_202306070737106872.
Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy (2020) The 4th Basic Plan for Low Birth Rate and Aging Society, Better Future. Available at: https://www.betterfuture.go.kr/ (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Raymo, J.M. et al. (2015) ‘Marriage and Family in East Asia: Continuity and Change’, Annual Review of Sociology, 41(1), pp. 471–492. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073014-112428.
Raymo, J.M. and Park, H. (2020) ‘Marriage Decline in Korea: Changing Composition of the Domestic Marriage Market and Growth in International Marriage’, Demography, 57(1), pp. 171–194. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00844-9.
Saragi, A.M.S. and Agustina, B.N.A. (2022) ‘Fenomena Glass Ceiling Sebagai Wujud Budaya Patriarki Di Korea Selatan’, Journal of Feminism and Gender Studies, 2(2), p. 124. Available at: https://doi.org/10.19184/jfgs.v2i2.30738.
Yoon, Y. (2024) PacNet #3 – South Korea’s military: Navigating external and internal challenges, Pacific Forum. Available at: https://pacforum.org/publications/pacnet-3-south-koreas-military-navigating-external-and-internal-challenges/ (Accessed: 7 July 2025).
Yun, J. et al. (2022) ‘Birth Rate Transition in the Republic of Korea: Trends and Prospects’, Journal of Korean Medical Science, 37(42). Available at: https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2022.37.e304.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Faradha Aulia Faza Fachna, Frisca Alexandra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
