South Korea is dealing with a big problem: not enough babies are being born. The country has the lowest birth rate in the world, and it keeps getting lower every year. In 2023, the birth rate dropped by 8% to 0.72, which is way below the number needed to keep the population stable. If this keeps going on, the population could be cut in half by 2100. This is such a serious issue that politicians are calling it a "national emergency" and trying different things to encourage people to have more kids.

Even though the government has tried giving people money, helping with housing, and providing free rides, these things haven't worked to increase the birth rate. So now, policymakers are thinking of more unusual ideas, like hiring nannies from South East Asia and letting men skip military service if they have three kids before they turn 30. But some people say these ideas don't really address the concerns of young people, especially women.

One of the main reasons why South Korean women aren't having children is because it's hard to find a partner who will help take care of the kids and do household chores. The long hours and tough work culture in Korea make it difficult for women to balance their careers and family life. Women are also worried that if they take time off to have a baby, they might lose their jobs or be treated badly at work.

The cost of housing and private education is also a big reason why people aren't having kids. Many couples can't afford the expenses that come with raising a child, especially in big cities like Seoul. Private education is seen as really important for a child's success, so parents have to spend a lot of money. That's why Korea is the most expensive country in the world to raise a child.

The pressure on women to focus on their careers instead of starting a family is another reason why the birth rate is so low. Many educated women in Korea feel like they have to choose between having a good job or having a family. The difference in pay between men and women and the limited opportunities for women at work make this choice even harder.

Even though there are a lot of challenges and worries, some women still want to have kids. But there are some laws and rules that make it hard for them. For example, same-sex marriage is illegal in Korea, and there are restrictions on using sperm donors. The government is starting to understand that this is a complicated problem and is thinking about treating the low birth rate as a big issue that needs to be fixed.

In conclusion, South Korea's low birth rate is a complicated problem caused by many things like the difficulty of finding a good partner, the tough work culture, the high cost of living, and the pressure on women. The government has tried to fix the problem, but it hasn't worked yet. They need to come up with a better plan that takes into account the needs and worries of young people, especially women.

Original news source: Why South Korean women aren't having babies (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Provide each group with a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article and write a concise summary of the main points. After a designated time, have each group share their summaries with the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. Instruct each pair to discuss their opinions on the reasons for South Korea's low birth rate. After a few minutes of discussion, have each pair share their opinions with the class. As a class, create a list of the most commonly mentioned reasons.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Provide each group with a list of vocabulary words from the article. Instruct them to take turns choosing a word and drawing a picture to represent it. The rest of the group must guess the word based on the drawing. Encourage the use of English for describing and guessing the words.
– Keyword Taboo
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Provide each group with a list of keywords from the article. Instruct one student from each group to choose a keyword and describe it to their group without using the keyword itself. The rest of the group must guess the keyword based on the description. Encourage the use of English for describing and guessing the words.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Instruct the class to imagine they are policymakers in South Korea trying to address the low birth rate issue. Ask each student to write down three ideas or strategies they would implement to encourage people to have more children. After a few minutes, have students share their ideas with a partner. Then, have a few students share their ideas with the whole class. Encourage discussion and debate about the effectiveness of the different strategies.

South Korea is dealing with a big problem: not enough babies are being born. The country has the lowest birth rate in the world, and it keeps getting lower every year. In 2023, the birth rate dropped by 8% to 0.72, which is way below the number ? to keep the population stable. If this keeps going on, the population could be cut in half by 2100. This is such a serious issue that ? are ? it a "national emergency" and trying different ? to encourage people to have more kids. Even though the government has tried giving people money, helping with housing, and providing free rides, these things haven't worked to increase the birth rate. So now, policymakers are thinking of more unusual ideas, like hiring nannies from ? East Asia and letting men skip military service if they have three kids before they turn 30. But some people say these ideas don't really address the concerns of young people, especially women. One of the main reasons why South Korean women aren't having ? is because it's hard to find a partner who will help take care of the kids and do ? chores. The long hours and tough work culture in Korea make it difficult for women to balance their careers and ? life. Women are also worried that if they take time off to have a baby, they might lose their jobs or be treated badly at work. The cost of housing and private education is also a big reason why people aren't having kids. Many couples can't afford the expenses that come with raising a child, especially in big ? like Seoul. Private education is seen as really important for a child's success, so ? have to spend a lot of money. That's why Korea is the most expensive country in the world to raise a child. The pressure on women to focus on their careers instead of starting a family is another reason why the birth rate is so low. Many educated women in Korea feel like they have to ? between having a good job or having a family. The difference in pay between men and women and the limited ? for women at work make this choice even harder. Even though there are a lot of challenges and worries, some women still want to have kids. But there are some laws and rules that make it hard for them. For example, same-sex marriage is illegal in Korea, and there are restrictions on using sperm donors. The government is ? to understand that this is a complicated problem and is thinking about treating the low ? rate as a big issue that ? to be fixed. In conclusion, South Korea's low birth rate is a complicated problem caused by many things like the difficulty of finding a good partner, the tough work culture, the high cost of living, and the pressure on women. The government has tried to fix the problem, but it hasn't worked yet. They need to come up with a better plan that takes into ? the needs and worries of young people, especially women.

1. What is the birth rate and why is it a problem in South Korea?
2. How would you feel if you were a young person in South Korea and the government was trying to encourage you to have more kids?
3. Do you think hiring nannies from South East Asia is a good solution to the low birth rate? Why or why not?
4. What do you think are some of the challenges that South Korean women face when it comes to having children?
5. Do you like the idea of men being able to skip military service if they have three kids before they turn 30? Why or why not?
6. How do you think the high cost of housing and private education affects people's decision to have children?
7. Why do you think many educated women in Korea feel like they have to choose between having a good job or having a family?
8. Do you think the government should change the laws and rules that make it hard for women to have children? Why or why not?
9. What are some other possible solutions that the government could try to increase the birth rate?
10. How do you think the low birth rate will affect South Korea's population in the future?
11. Why do you think the government's previous attempts to increase the birth rate haven't worked?
12. How do you think the tough work culture in Korea affects people's decision to have children?
13. What are some possible ways that the government could make it easier for people to balance their careers and family life?
14. How do you think the pressure on women to focus on their careers affects the birth rate?
15. Do you think the government will be able to come up with a better plan to increase the birth rate? Why or why not?

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