4/3 Talk about Korea’s low birthrate.

Korea’s birthrate is among the lowest in the world. South Korean women gave birth to roughly 1.18 babies in 2013.

ex> Korea’s illiteracy rate is among the lowest in the world.

* give birth to: 출산하다

ex> She’s recently given birth to a baby boy.

This is way below the OECD average of 1.74. This low birthrate is expected to create a labor shortage and make pension funds fall short in the future.

* create a labor shortage: 노동력 부족을 초래하다

ex> Retiring baby boomers will create a labor shortage.

This will end up reducing the country’s economic productivity.

The Korean government has been taking measures to boost the birthrate since 2003.

* boost the birthrate: 출산율을 높이다

ex> The government should make more efforts to boost the birthrate.

Such policies have included providing subsidies to expectant mothers, and giving incentives to families with multiple children.

The birthrate did climb a bit to 1.30 in 2012, after hitting a record low of 1.08 in 2005.

* hit a record low: 최저치를 기록하다

ex> The Korean won hit a record low against dollar this year.

cf> Oil prices hit a record high. (최고치)

cf> Gold prices hit an all-time high. (역대 최고치)

@ That’s out of my price range.  나한테는 부담되는 가격이야.

You can pay for the phone in installments though.  할부로 구매할 수 있어.

<HOMEWORK>

1.      She gave birth to twins last month.

2.      The aging population will create a labor shortage.

3.      The Government announced a new plan aimed at boosting the birthrate.

4.      The national tax revenue hit a record low last year.

@ Related Topics>> Low Birthrate, Aging Process

11/23 Low Birthrate

DIALOG>> Korea has one of the lowest birthrates in the world.

Korea has one of the lowest birthrates in the world.

People are having less and less babies because of the cost of raising kids.

Korea may face an economic crisis if the birthrate stays so low.

The government has to do more to boost the birthrate.
* boost: 증폭시키다, 북돋우다.
ex> He boosted his younger brother's confidence with compliments.


RESPONSE>> Talk about the low birthrate of Korea.

Korea's birthrate is extremely low.
* birthrate: 출산율

It's one of the lowest in the world.
ex> This restaurant got one of the lowest ratings when it comes to service.

As of 2010, South Korean women gave birth to 1.22 babies on average.
* as of: ~시점을 기준으로 하여
* give birth to: ~을 낳다.
ex> My dog gave birth to five adorable puppies.

This is far lower than 1.74 the average birthrate of industrialized OECD nations.

The good news is that 1.22 is a rise from the 1.15 in 2009.

The government has been doing its best to encourage more families to have babies.
ex> My teacher is always encouraging us to try our best.

It has offered various incentives for families having multiple kids.
ex> The government is providing incentives for companies that go green.

If left unchecked, Korea's population is likely to peak around 2018 and then start to drop.
ex> Stock prices peaked at their highest point in history.


@ We're going to lose out on all the good stuff.  좋은 물건은 다 나가 버릴 거라고.
= miss out on

1. My cat gave birth to many kittens.
2. Is there any incentives for the person who finishes first?
3. The girl group's popularity reached its peak in 2008.
4. The company will provide various bonuses to boost the morale of employees.