Following remarks suggesting the “import” of Vietnamese and Sri Lankan women to address South Korea’s low birth rate, Governor Kim Hee Soo was expelled from the Democratic Party. His televised comments, which proposed marrying foreign women to rural South Korean men, sparked outrage and a diplomatic protest from Vietnam. While Mr. Kim issued an apology for his “inappropriate language” and for undermining human dignity, the party unanimously voted for his expulsion. The South Jeolla Province also apologized for the deeply hurtful and discriminatory nature of his statements, vowing to reinforce oversight to prevent future occurrences.
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South Korea saw a notable increase in births in May, with a 3.8% rise from the previous year, reaching the highest May increase since 2011. This marks the second consecutive month births surpassed 20,000 and the 11th straight month of on-year growth. A significant rise in marriages, up 4% in May, contributed to the increase, influencing a rise in the country’s fertility rate. Despite the positive trend, the country still faces a natural population decline due to more deaths than births, a pattern observed since late 2019, while divorces decreased.
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South Korea witnessed its largest increase in births in 34 years in April, with an 8.7% rise from the previous year, reaching 20,717 births. This increase, the first time births surpassed 20,000 in three years, is attributed to a rise in marriages, a growing population of women in their early 30s, and government initiatives promoting childbirth. While the total fertility rate also increased, the country still experienced a natural population decline due to more deaths than births, and the number of divorces decreased.
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John Q. Hosedrinker