Cheju (AsiaNews) -
The demographic winter that has enveloped Korea "has been caused by
government policies over the years. And now, thanks to the artificial birth
control that has been imposed for decades, we have ended up in a disaster
national". This is the comment of,
Msgr . Peter Kang U-il, Bishop of Cheju and President of the Bishops'
Conference of Korea given to AsiaNews, regarding recent data relating to
the ongoing decline in birth rates in the country.
The issue is a very serious one. South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates
in the world (around 1.05 %) and the data confirms that the birth rate
continues to decline. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the trend
has been negative for 13 consecutive months and continues to fall.
Msgr. Kang says "many Koreans now feel that it will be a serious
challenge to Korea. A nationwide campaign and continuous effort are needed
to recover the birth rate to a degree that this society could work out.
Otherwise Korea will hardly be able to continue its development in every
aspect of life".
For the first time in decades the prelate's prediction is even shared by a
government authority. In July of 2012, the Korea Institute for Health and
Social Affairs acknowledged the problem and asked the government to
intervene with policies to support the family. According to analysts, "too
many people shy away from the idea of marriage and having children. The government
must put a new system in place that provides health care and insurance to those
who decide to start a family. We also need a change of mentality, which is perhaps
the most worrying factor". The appeal has was repeated in recent days by
the same Institute, commenting on the newly released statistics.
The South Korean Catholic Church has always been at the forefront in the battle
for life. Inspired by the testimony of the late Cardinal Kim, who brought the
issue to the forefront of the bishop's national pastoral agenda. The Catholic
community promotes awareness-raising activities , family support programs and
demonstrations against tax policies which effectively penalize large families.
For 2014 , the Church launched a
"Lenten Prayer for Life", a chain of rosaries recited with
the intention that the Act on the health of mother and child (which in fact
promotes abortion) be abolished .