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Invisible kids - 2nd August 2023

South Korea has the world's lowest birth rate at a mere 0.78 per woman, a problem which its government continues to grapple with despite throwing hundreds of billions of dollars at it.

However, according to Yong Hye-in, the youngest member of the National Assembly, this decline may be attributed to a combination of social and economic factors in Seoul.

Yong Hye-in: "(The male-dominated government) wants to boost birth rates and are scared the low birth rate will lead to a disappearing South Korea. But they also prefer it if the noisy, difficult and painful process of raising a child be done separately, somewhere out of sight, on a remote island."

In Seoul, the general consensus seems to be that children should remain unseen and unheard, made evident through the emergence of several 'No Kids Zones'. Yong Hye-in, upon venturing out with her newborn son, was dismayed to discover her chosen haunts now prohibited to them. This attitude permeates the capital's landscape, marginalising young families and raising concerns about inclusivity.

Yong Hye-in: "I had now become this person who could be so easily rejected — at places like restaurants, cafes, bars and movie theatres. I felt like I had been expelled from society. I remember crying so much on my way home."

In the heart of Seoul, 'No Kids Zones' proliferate, citing reasons like disruptive noise and inattentive parenting to justify their exclusionary stance. Even the National Assembly, where Yong Hye-in holds office, qualifies as a 'No Kids Zone', lacking statutory maternity leave.

Yong Hye-in, the founder and leader of the Basic Income Party, believes that tackling her party's key issues — inequality, the gender pay gap and social challenges related to child rearing — is imperative to combat South Korea's declining birth rate. Without governmental action, the country's demographic crisis will persist, she urges policymakers to confront these pressing concerns to counter the nation’s declining birth rate.