Government statistics released today show South Korea's chronically low birth rate continues to fall, raising concerns for the country's workforce. The government has been scrambling to find ways to combat the problem with little success.
Bruce Harrison reports from Seoul.
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The latest government data shows nearly three-thousand fewer babies were born in August compared to last year.
About 358-thousand babies were born 2017, the first time the number fell below 400-thousand.
Youth unemployment and Koreans choosing to delay marriage amid a tough job market have contributed to the problem.
But targeted government programs have done little to turn the trend.
After Japan, South Korea is also the world's fastest aging society.
Combined with the low birth rate, the government is concerned about economic troubles amid a shrinking workforce.
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