Aylin Inahat

The Falling Fertility of South Korea To have a stable population you need a fertility rate of about 2.1 children per woman. In the 1950s South Koreans used to have 6 children on average. In the 1980s the rate fell below 2. And in 2023 it was 0.72 kids per woman—the lowest ever recorded in history. In Seoul fertility is even lower, around 0.55. On average, about half of the women here won’t have any kids and the other half just one. What do these numbers actually mean in the real world? A Shrinking Nation If we go by the projections put together by the UN, and specifically the low fertility scenario (since that has been the most accurate in recent years), we come across a startling reality. In just 35 years, South Korea's population is expected to shrink by 30%—that’s 16 million people gone. It’s on track to become the oldest country in history. Half the population will be over 65. Fewer than one in ten will be under 25. Only one in a h...

You were three when it started. Bright rooms, kind smiles, songs about flowers and the seasons. But even then, there were stars to earn, charts to top, praise to chase. By five, you sat at a cram school desk, your legs swinging above the floor. You didn’t know what you were preparing for—only that if you didn’t keep up, you’d fall behind. At ten, you were already tired. Sleep was for the weak, they said, and weakness meant failure. 6 hours of school, 4 hours of private classes, and homework from both.   By fifteen, it was four hours of sleep, four cups of coffee, and fear—the kind that lived in your chest and clung to every test score. "Vacations" meant it's time to study like never before. Relax and you'll fall behind. You can't live, but you can't die either. You can't be weak like your peers who died.  12 hours of your day roaming the Daechi district in private education facilities. Friends? Had to cut them off in middle school. Clubs? Sport...