South Korea's is facing a population crisis, with Seoul at the centre of it. The country’s capital remains the beneficiary of both internal and external migration. Instead, it is in the rural and peripheral areas where low birth rates and the aging population have become crises. The countryside is at risk of becoming extinct. As more opportunities and people get concentrated in Seoul, urban pressures have led to rising unemployment and cost of living. And when things get expensive, people do not have babies. Seoul now has the lowest birthrate in South Korea, in a country with the world’s most dire fertility. On the other hand, farms and factories in the rural areas desperately need workers. How can South Korea solve this population puzzle?
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You can replace workers with machines. But machines cannot become consumers.
@DeniSaputta 3096
That fact that Busan, the 2nd largest city, is at risk of collapse due to depopulation is truly terrifying. Government better figure out a way to decentralize the job market, top universities, earning opportunity from Seoul and QUICKLY. The rural era is absolutely beautiful. It's heartbreaking
@alperry02 1002
The pressure young people are under to succeed is so strong. Not every student will get into a top university. The mental health of those that don’t make it is really sad.
@Tammissa 1175
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