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Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea’s leader on Thursday said he plans to create a new government ministry to tackle the “national emergency” of the country’s infamously low birth rate as it grapples with a deepening demographic crisis. In a televised address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would ask for parliament’s cooperation to establish the Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-planning. “We will mobilize all of the nation’s capabilities to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency,” he said. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, on, May 9, 2024. Countries like South Korea, Japan and China, however, have shied away from mass immigration to tackle the decline in their working age populations.

Persons: Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Yoon Suk, Kyung, Fumio Kishida Organizations: South Korea CNN, of, South, AP, Korea, Families Agency Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, Japan, China

☆ Here's why Americans having fewer kids won't doom the economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

America's falling population isn't necessarily bad for the economy, Fisher Investments said. The US birth rate just fell to its lowest level in over 40 years, according to provisional CDC data. AdvertisementAmericans aren't having nearly as many kids as they used to, but that won't be the blow to the US economy that many have feared, according to Fisher Investments. Related storiesBut fewer babies being born isn't necessarily a bad thing for the economy, the firm said. "Yes, falling birth rates could have negative long-run ramifications if a true reduction in human capital and other factors don't offset this.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, Fisher, Ken Fisher Organizations: Fisher Investments, Service, Centers for Disease, Bank

☆ China faces a reckoning as disillusioned Gen Z and millennial workers refuse to save for retirement: report
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

China's young people are abandoning retirement savings, The New York Times reported. The aging population and declining birthrate have intensified the pension crisis. A rapidly aging population, difficulties finding a job, and concerns about low pay are weighing on the minds of the country's young people. For some, that has led them to refuse to save for retirement entirely, according to an in-depth report in The New York Times. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: —, Tao Swift Organizations: New York Times, Service, The New York Times, Times, Business Locations: The, Chengdu

☆ Opinion | The Birth Dearth and the Smartphone Age
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

My newsroom colleagues Jason Horowitz and Gaia Pianigiani have a lovely report this week about family-friendly policies in the Italian province of Alto Adige-South Tyrol, which has the highest birthrate of any region in an aging, depopulating Italy. Their story is a portrait not just of a particular policy matrix but also the culture that policy can help foster. Some of what Carney describes is a set of habits that’s beyond the reach of policy. (I don’t think there’s much the government can do to persuade parents to “Have Lower Ambitions for Your Kids,” to select one of his more striking chapter titles.) But some of the sense of overwhelmingness that comes with modern parenting seems like it could be mitigated, not just through a once-a-year benefit or tax credit, but also through small consistent signals of support: the family discount on groceries, the convenient in-home child care option, the open play space, the flexible work space.

Persons: Jason Horowitz, Gaia Pianigiani, —, “, Tim Carney, conspires, Carney Organizations: Italy’s, ”, The Washington Examiner Locations: Italian, Alto Adige, South Tyrol, Italy

☆ What Happened When This Italian Province Invested in Babies
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jason Horowitz | Gaia Pianigiani | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a municipal building in the heart of the alpine city of Bolzano, Stefano Baldo clocked out of work early for his breastfeeding break. “It’s clear I don’t breastfeed,” Mr. Baldo, a 38-year-old transportation administrator, said in his office decorated with pictures of his wife and six children. But with his wife home with a newborn, one of the parents was entitled by law to take the time, and he needed to pick up the kids. But the Alto Adige-South Tyrol area and its capital, Bolzano, more than any other part of the country, bucked the trend and emerged as a parallel procreation universe for Italy, with its birthrate holding steady over decades. The reason, experts say, is that the provincial government has over time developed a thick network of family-friendly benefits, going far beyond the one-off bonuses for babies that the national government offers.

Persons: Stefano Baldo, Mr, Baldo, “, Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis Locations: Bolzano, Italy, Europe, South Tyrol

☆ Russia is eyeing big tax hikes after this month's election to pay for the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin could raise taxes on high earners and companies after the country's election, Bloomberg reported. More tax revenue would pay for the war in Ukraine and fund some social programs. AdvertisementVladimir Putin could raise taxes after the presidential election this month to keep the money flowing to pay for the country's war in Ukraine. Russia's hefty spending on the Ukraine war since February 2022 is siphoning resources from the broader economy, with a 7.4% inflation rate and collapsing direct investment. Economists have warned that the country's economy cannot sustain the costs of either winning or losing the war in Ukraine.

Persons: Putin, —, Vladimir Putin, outflows Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Bloomberg Economics, Kremlin, Finance Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Russian

☆ Three Is Best: How China’s Family Planning Propaganda Has Changed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Isabelle Qian | Pablo Robles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

One Three Is Best: How China’s Family Planning Propaganda Has ChangedFor decades, China harshly restricted the number of children couples could have, arguing that everyone would be better off with fewer mouths to feed. The government’s one-child policy was woven into the fabric of everyday life, through slogans on street banners and in popular culture and public art. Between 1980 and 2015, the year the one-child policy officially ended, the Chinese government used extensive propaganda to warn that having more babies would hinder China’s modernization. Then Now One child is best, the government aids in elder care. The pivot has prompted local officials to remove visible remnants of the one-child policy.

Persons: “, It’s, Critics, Marie Mathelin, Roger Viollet, Xilingjing Xiang Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, China Central Television, Getty Images Locations: Wuhan, China, People’s Republic of China, Bengbu, Anhui, Shanxi Province, Xilingjing

☆ The North Korean refugees sold to Chinese husbands
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Yoonjung Seo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

China considers North Korean refugees to be economic migrants, and forcibly deports them back to North Korea – where, as alleged defectors, they face imprisonment, possible torture or worse, activists say. During that period, she also met other North Korean refugees in the same situation – with their status public knowledge in the village, she said. According to the KFI report, the buying of a North Korean wife is “always known to the local community” but rarely reported to authorities. The other North Korean refugees she’d met in town had connections to brokers who could help them escape, while church organizations and non-profit groups discreetly helped raise funds for the journey. Brokers who remain have raised their prices due to increased risks and surveillance, while newcomers to the business are inexperienced, making it a risky gamble for North Korean refugees.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Chae, –, she’s, Yoonjung Seo, She’d, didn’t, “, ”, Chae, ” didn’t, Kim Jeong Ah, Kim, she’d, we’ll, ” Chae, Seo, Unification Ministry –, She’s, – she’s Organizations: South Korea CNN, North, CNN, North Korea –, Korea Future Initiative, KFI, US State Department, Human Rights Watch, Female North, United Nations, Liberty, Korean, Koreans, Unification Ministry, Brokers Locations: Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, North Korean, Hebei, Beijing, London, Korea, Korean, North, ”, South, South Koreans

☆ Opinion | How to Fix the Crisis of Trust in Higher Education
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been keeping track of every report I see about major budget shortfalls at universities. Here’s a sampling:“SUNY Warns of Future $1B Deficit Without Higher Tuition or More Aid” — The Times Union, Jan. 2. “Penn State Plans Nearly $100M in Cuts for FY26 Budget” — Higher Ed Dive, Jan. 24. “As U. of Arizona Confronts Budget Cuts, Workers and Students Brace for the Worst” — The New York Times, Feb. 21. The other is the decline in Americans’ confidence in higher education.

Persons: I’ve, Brace, Sharon Otterman, Josh Moody, Ed Organizations: The Times Union, UConn, Connecticut, “ Penn, Workers, New York Times, Gallup Locations: Arizona, New York

☆ China is getting hyped over a suggestion that people get more than 5 days of paid time off
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Current laws give employees five days of annual paid time off, which increases to 10 days after they have worked 10 years, and 15 days if they have worked for 20 years or more. Fok's proposal would let young workers scale their annual leave from five to 10 days until they hit the 10-year mark. His suggestion sparked hopes on Weibo, China's version of X, that the country might soon align with international paid leave standards. The International Labor Organization recommends three weeks of paid annual leave. AdvertisementShanghai-based outlet The Paper ran an informal poll on Tuesday, asking if its readers felt they could take vacation days.

Persons: —, Kenneth Fok, Fok, we've, Jack Ma Organizations: Service, People's, China Youth, International Labor Organization, China, Daily, Business, Ministry of Human Resources, Social Security, Pew Research Center Locations: China, Hong Kong, Kong, Beijing, Weibo, Shanghai

☆ Millennials having fewer kids could be a drag on the economy for the next decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

At the current trajectory, that's set to weigh on the economy for the next decade or more. AdvertisementMillennials aren't having as many kids as previous generations, and that fact could end up dragging down economic growth for more than a decade. "What you're talking about is these birth rates dropping very, very low levels, which over the course of time has huge impacts on the economy," Pomeroy said. The impact of millennials having fewer kids will likely be worse than the impact of aging boomers — and the most dire consequences could come 10-15 years from now, Pomeroy estimated. The most important thing to encourage people to have more kids might be a cultural shift in how we talk about children, Buchholz says.

Persons: Millennials, —, James Pomeroy, Pomeroy, Todd Buchholz, …, boomers, Buchholz, That's, DINK, " Buchholz, it's Organizations: Service, Centers for Disease Control, White House, Medicare, Social Security, CNBC, Sony PlayStation Locations: China, Japan, Russia

☆ China is one of world’s most expensive places to raise children, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Last year, China was surpassed by India as the world’s most populous country. And while some women stop working entirely while raising their children, it makes returning to the workforce incredibly difficult. Women who have children may see a 12% to 17% drop in their wages, the report said, citing research from multiple papers. “Because the current social environment in China is not conducive to women’s childbirth, the time cost and opportunity cost for women to have children are too high,” the report said. The report warned that the falling birthrate could deeply impact economic growth, people’s overall happiness and China’s global standing.

Persons: “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Research Institute, Communist, Beijing Locations: Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Australia, France, United States, Japan, Communist China, India

☆ China's crashing birthrate will leave millions of teachers jobless in the coming years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China's birthrate has plunged, with the number of newborns in 2023 falling by 500,000, to about 9 million. AdvertisementDecades of China's one-child policy have created a demographic nightmare for the world's second-largest economy, and millions of school teachers could soon be left without a job as birthrates tumble. If those classes don't scale back, China could see a surplus of 1.5 million primary school teachers and 370,000 middle school teachers by 2035, according to a Tuesday report from the South China Morning Post. Last year marked the second consecutive year that China's population shrank, according to the country's National Bureau of Statistics. Total primary school students, too, declined in 2022 for the first time in a decade.

Persons: China's birthrate, —, it's Organizations: Service, South China Morning, country's National Bureau of Statistics, Education, China National Academy of Educational Sciences, Terry Group, Terry, UN Locations: China, Beijing, Hangzhou

☆ MSCI China Index: 66 stocks cut from benchmark amid stock market rout
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Global stock index compiler MSCI is deleting dozens of companies from its benchmark China Index, which could further exacerbate fund outflows from Chinese equities after a massive stock market rout. The index provider announced this week that it would drop 66 securities from the MSCI China Index, one of its flagship China indexes, as part of the company’s latest quarterly review. The MSCI China Index is the compiler’s key index tracking the Chinese stock market, covering about 85% of the total market capitalization of Chinese companies listed globally. On Monday, MSCI also announced changes to its other China-related indexes, including deleting dozens of stocks from MSCI China A Onshore indexes and MSCI China All Shares indexes. Hong Kong’s stock market reopened on Wednesday after a long holiday weekend, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up 0.9%.

Persons: MSCI, ”, Luca Paolini, Hong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Global, Investors, Greentown China Holdings, Gemdale Corp, Uni, President, China Southern Airlines, Lufax Holdings, Genomics, Midea, MGI Tech, Management Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Fuyang, China's, Anhui, AFP, Hangzhou, President China, Beijing, Geneva, Mainland

☆ China stock market: angry Chinese take to US Embassy’s social media account to vent about plunging shares
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

On Monday, mainland Chinese markets slumped again after their worst weeks in years. Under a Friday post by the US Embassy’s Weibo account about protecting wild giraffes, many Chinese people complained about the stock market rout and the challenging economy. “The US government, please help Chinese stock investors,” a user said in a repost of the animal protection article. Investors seemed to have shrugged off Chinese regulators’ latest pledge to bolster the stock market. On Sunday, the China Securities Regulatory Commission vowed to prevent “abnormal fluctuations” in the stock market and stabilize confidence.

Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Embassy, US, Weibo, Investors, China Securities, CNN Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Opinion | The Varieties of Anti-Natalism — and the Roots of a Demographic Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This week, The Financial Times featured an interview with the Finnish demographer Anna Rotkirch, discussing one of the more striking subplots in the widening drama of demographic decline: The sudden collapse of what had heretofore been seen as a pronatalist success story in the social democracies of northern Europe. That hope seems to be dissolving. As Darel Paul wrote in an essay for Compact magazine last week, Europe has suffered a “stunning fertility collapse” in the last decade, much of it concentrated in countries where the feminist egalitarian model was strongest. Finland is one of them: As The Financial Times notes, “despite all the support offered to parents,” the country’s birthrate “has fallen nearly a third since 2010,” and its birthrate is now barely above the lows of Italy. And I still think that: I’m very happy, for instance, that the House just passed a child tax credit expansion, because in an age of declining birthrates, every little bit helps.

Persons: Anna Rotkirch, Darel Paul, “, I’ve Organizations: Financial Times, Nordic Locations: Finnish, Europe, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Italy, South Korea, Scandinavia, America

☆ For New Moms in Seoul, 3 Weeks of Pampering and Sleep at a Joriwon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Lauretta Charlton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Four mothers sat quietly in the nursing room around midnight, breastfeeding their newborn babies. As one mother nodded off, her eyelids heavy after giving birth less than two weeks earlier, a nurse came in and whisked her baby away. Sleep is just one of the luxuries provided by South Korea’s postpartum care centers. The country may have the world’s lowest birthrate, but it is also home to perhaps some of its best postpartum care. At centers like St. Park, a small, boutique postpartum center, or joriwon, in Seoul, new moms are pampered for a few weeks after giving birth and treated to hotel-like accommodations.

Locations: St, Seoul

☆ China stock market: Calm returns after wild week but big challenges remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Hong Kong CNN —It’s been a rollercoaster week for stocks trading in mainland China and Hong Kong. “For a sustained rally in China stocks, we think China will need to address the core of these concerns (predominantly property sector issues and US-China tensions),” the analysts added. In the 7 days to January 24, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking Chinese stocks recorded large inflows of $12.6 billion, according to a Citi survey of global fund managers. Still, investors have been fleeing Chinese stocks over a much longer period because they are worried about the country’s economic prospects. The country is facing the prospect of a vicious cycle whereby lower demand leads to lower investment, lower production and lower income, thus causing even lower demand.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — It’s, Hong, — haven’t, ” Nomura, “, Li Qiang, ”, Li Yunze, Pan Gongsheng, Florence Lo, HSI, Raymond Yeung, ” Yeung Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shanghai Shenzhen, ”, Shanghai Financial Exchange, Bloomberg, State, Supervision, Administration Commission, Administration of Financial, Reuters, People’s Bank of China, Citi, Enodo Economics, HSBC, Greater China, ANZ Research Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, United States, Beijing, Davos, Switzerland, Greater

☆ Why Chinese stocks have lost $6 trillion in 3 years: everything you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese shares haven’t just had a bad start to 2024. The astonishing losses, reminiscent of the last Chinese stock market crash of 2015-2016, highlight a crisis of confidence among investors concerned about the country’s future. But on the same day, major state-owned banks moved to support the Chinese yuan, in order to prevent the currency from falling too fast as Chinese shares plunged, according to a Reuters report, citing unnamed sources. Topics related to the “market plunge” and “China’s stock market rescue” were trending on Weibo on Tuesday. “I’m sad about today’s stock market performance,” Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief for state newspaper Global Times, posted on Weibo on Monday.

Persons: It’s, “, Goldman Sachs, Wall, Li Qiang, ”, Nomura, bedeviling, Beijing’s, Li, Ken Cheung, ” Hu Xijin, “ Hu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Reuters, Bloomberg, Monday, People’s Bank of China, ”, Big Tech, Xinhua, Hong, Mizuho Bank, Global Times Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Japan, Asia, Beijing, US, Weibo

☆ China's stock market is in a 3-year slump and Beijing's flip-flops are adding to the confusion
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's stock market lost more than $6 trillion in valuation from 2021 through last week. The market is confused by Beijing's policy stance on the economy, per Nomura economists. AdvertisementA brutal downcycle in China's stock market has wiped out over $6 trillion in valuations since 2021 — and policymakers in Beijing may be adding to the turmoil. "There has been increasing confusion over Beijing's policy stance on the economy," wrote Nomura economists in a Monday note seen by Business Insider. While China's stock market is still in the dumps, some see opportunities ahead.

Persons: —, Bloomberg's, Xi Jinping's, Ji Min Organizations: Bloomberg, Nomura, Service, CSI, People's Bank of China, Business, Economic Work, China Morning Locations: Beijing, China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen

☆ Kim Jong Un Urges Women to Be Good Comrades—and Give Birth
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dasl Yoon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

North Korean women face widespread discrimination in the country’s deeply patriarchal society. Photo: kim won jin/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesSEOUL— Kim Jong Un has a new mission for North Korean women: Have more babies. Kim acknowledged the impoverished nation’s plunging birthrate for the first time publicly at a rare National Conference of Mothers. Wiping away tears, the 39-year-old dictator, who is a father of three, described mothers as revolutionaries who were on the front lines of rooting out antisocialist behavior and helping the nation prosper.

Persons: kim, Kim Jong, Kim Organizations: Agence France, Getty, North, National Conference of Locations: SEOUL

☆ Opinion | Is South Korea Disappearing?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For some time now, South Korea has been a striking case study in the depopulation problem that hangs over the developed world. Almost all rich countries have seen their birthrates settle below replacement level, but usually that means somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 children per woman. For instance in 2021 the United States stood at 1.7, France at 1.8, Italy at 1.3 and Canada at 1.4. It’s worth unpacking what that means. Run the experiment through a second generational turnover, and your original 200-person population falls below 25.

Persons: you’re, Stephen King’s Locations: South Korea, United States, France, Italy, Canada, Europe, America

☆ Putin is urging women to have as many as 8 children after so many Russians died in his war with Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Vladimir Putin is urging Russians to have more children. Russian birthrates are falling amid war in Ukraine and a deepening economic crisis. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin is urging women to have as many as eight children after so many Russians are dying in his war with Ukraine, worsening the country's spiraling population crisis. "Many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, had seven, eight, or even more children," said Putin. The war in Ukraine has led an estimated 900,000 people to flee the country.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, —, Le Monde, Alexei Raksha Organizations: Service, Russian People's Council, UK's Ministry of Defence, Ukraine, AFP, RFE Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, Russia, Meduza, Rosstat

☆ A Battle Over China’s Reproductive Future Is Underway - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Leta Hong Fincher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By 25, her Chinese parents were accusing her of causing them a public loss of face because she still had no plans to wed. Her father warned her that women are worth less to a man as they near the age of 30, when — according to Chinese government propaganda — their peak childbearing time has passed. When Amiee was 29, her mother threatened to jump off a building if she didn’t find a husband. Amiee — whose full name is being withheld to avoid potential repercussions for questioning government policy — wasn’t against marriage, per se. I hear similar stories from single women across China, where sexist state propaganda labels single professional women older than 27 as sheng nu, or leftover women.

Persons: Amiee, badgered, ”, Amiee —, —, hadn’t Locations: China

☆ Hong Kong, Facing an Exodus, Offers Money for Babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Selina Cheng | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Hong Kong isn’t alone in struggling with a falling birthrate. Singapore and South Korea also pay parents to have children. Photo: Vernon Yuen/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesHONG KONG—Hong Kong’s government is grappling with an exodus of citizens and a plummeting birthrate. Its solution: Subsidize baby-making. Those who choose to remain in the city are increasingly opting out of having children: Hong Kong’s fertility rate is the lowest in the world.

Persons: Hong Kong isn’t, Vernon Yuen Organizations: HONG Locations: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, HONG KONG, Beijing

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