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| ▲ Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a meeting with entrepreneurs held at a university in the central city of Daejeon on Feb. 22, 2023. (Yonhap) |
PM-fertility rate
PM calls for comprehensive measure to boost fertility rate
SEOUL, Feb. 22 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday called for all-out efforts to boost South Korea's birth rate, after data showed the country's fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 0.78 last year.
Earlier in the day, Statistics Korea issued a report showing the country's total fertility rate, the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, came to 0.78 in 2022, the lowest since 1970, when the agency began compiling related data.
"All policies of the Republic of Korea should be pushed for toward that direction," Han told reporters, referring to job, education, medical, pension and housing policies, noting the country is facing a "horrible catastrophe" of population decrease.
On labor issues, Han said transparency should be increased so people can trust the labor unions and improve productivity.
The government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has been pushing for labor market reforms, including allowing employers more flexibility in complying with the compulsory 52-hour workweek and beefing up its oversight of labor unions' accounting practices.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the country's biggest umbrella labor union, has slammed such a move, accusing the government of repressing labor unions.
Han noted the contentious pro-labor bill, which the opposition parties are pushing to legislate to restrict damages suits against industrial action, goes against the Constitution and other laws, though he refrained from commenting on the possibility of President Yoon exercising veto power.
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