Posted on 12/18/2023 11:37:14 AM PST by DallasBiff
South Korea is facing “extinction” and needs to embrace immigration to stave off its “demographic catastrophe”, the country’s justice minister has warned.
“When it comes to immigration policies, we have passed the stage of deliberating whether to implement them or not. Because if we don’t, we cannot escape the fate of extinction due to the demographic catastrophe,” Han Dong-hoon, told a parliamentary meeting in Seoul, reported the Korea Times.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Do they accept Americans?
“They won’t be getting them from those countries, as they have their own perilously low fertility rates. And Japanese and Koreans, well, they don’t much like each other.”
1. There is some migration FROM Singapore, Japan, and very much so from Mongolia (Koreans have some genetic background with Mongolia). In any place there is economic displacements and when there is some folks migrate for economic opportunities elswhere and that elsewhere can be somewhere that economic opportunities are stimulated.
2. I think the younger generations of Koreans and Japanese do not hold as much animosties as the older generations.
However, I think there is an answer to a seeming need for migrants - robotics; and robots do not get paid nor do they get social security, pensions or health care benefits.
Who pays the electric bill?
I’m completely generalizing from a lack of knowledge, however I have read a lot of articles about Korean men being particularly abusive especially when they drink.
I suppose it’s possible that with more job opportunities for women more of them are choosing not to get married and have kids.
That solves the 'two state' problem - AND Palestinians have lots of kids they can't afford to support. So there will be people, people, people everywhere in the future.
(Hamas could be minor problem because they'll want to blame the South Koreans for all their problems, but any solution has a downside... )
“Who pays the electric bill?”
There would be an electric bill for additional humans anyway - for heat (which robots are not in need of), food storage and preparation (which robots are not in need of) and equip to be operated either way, by humans or robots.
I think in techologically very advanced societies, with declining populations, robotics could lessen the demand for immigrants with the cost offset somewhat by reduced costs that only humans have.
There’s a million of them living in Japan from WW2. May or may not be citizens.
😂 👍
“width=600” is your friend...
I think the concern is that it’s too late for that. Many countries are experiencing a population collapse as people just aren’t having kids - haven’t been for a while. Same in Europe (for the natives), same in Japan, China, etc...
The only demographic rapidly expanding - Muslim families. They’re out-breeding the natives in Europe, many to one.
The funny part about these Asian nations, when they say, “solve the problem through immigration” they mean from other ASIAN countries (it’s not racist or anything though). Japan doesn’t allow Muslims.
So everyone is going to lose - except Islam.
Exactly!
Population varies...it can shrink and bounce back in a generation or two. There will be some hardship.
What a country CANNOT bounce back from is unchecked and incompatible mass immigration (Europe/US).
This is the crux of the issue. We see it here in America too.
Why are so many young people, opting out of marriage and family? And how do we motivate young people towards marriage and family?
Then we could also, ask, is it even the job of government to create incentives to prompt people to live their lives a certain way, as opposed to them remaining single and childless?
Where do they find these people? There’s a much better solution — freaking have children.
Have they asked Laz to father a few thousand Korean kiddos?
When just about any politician or bureaucrat says “immigration” they mean turd world violent Muslims and Africans to destroy the current culture and society. I doubt this guy wants Filipinos, Chinese, and Bangladeshis.
Here are immigration figures for South Korea:
“In 2021, Korea received 54 000 new immigrants on a long-term or permanent basis (including changes of status), -6.1% compared to 2020. This figure comprises 8.8% labour migrants, 28.9% family members (including accompanying family) and 0.2% humanitarian migrants. Around 39 000 permits were issued to tertiary-level international students and 59 000 to temporary and seasonal labour migrants.
China, Viet Nam and the United States were the top three nationalities of newcomers in 2021. Among the top 15 countries of origin, Uzbekistan registered the strongest increase (+5 100) and Viet Nam the largest decrease (-10 000) in flows to Korea compared to the previous year.
In 2022, the number of first asylum applicants increased by 400%, to reach around 12 000. The majority of applicants came from Kazakhstan (2 500), India (1 300) and Türkiye (1 200). The largest increase since 2021 concerned nationals of Kazakhstan (+2 400). Of the 11 000 decisions taken in 2022, 1% were positive.
Emigration of Korean citizens to OECD countries decreased by -11% in 2021, to 37 000. Approximately 33% of this group migrated to the United States, 22% to Canada and 8% to Germany.”
More here:
Sad tales of why no babies:
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1163341684/south-korea-fertility-rate
Of course in an agrarian society, children are valuable economic assets, whereas in Ukraine industrialized societies they are economic liabilities (and even moreso with “women’s rights”). We transitioned more gradually from agrarian to industriqlzed, and then did the “women’s rights” thing. When industrialization is so rapid and “women’s rights” are concurrent with that, well, you get a precipitous drop in fertility rates.
So, people moving rapidly from farm to city (and the much higher city rents that go along with that), plus women in the workforce, plus posts Sexual Revolution dynamics and values (marriage and children culturally devalued), you have a sort of perfect storm for a dearth of babies.
Good thinking on the robotics. Yes, robotics can probably help, and South Korea should be good at that. The Japanese have long used that to help out with their dire rapid population decline (robots dispensing meds in nursing homes for the elderly, etc.). The Chinese are using AI + robotics as a sort of “workforce multiplier” and it’s quite impressive. This would increase GDP and perhaps help generate tax revenue to help out with caring for elderly, but still there will be problems in countries like South Korea where the decline was so severe and swift.
On the more human side, one of the saddest things I’ve seen was a documentary about population decline in Japan, the scene where they showed lonely old ladies in nursing homes playing with robotic babies, as they had no real live grandchildren to play with. It broke my heart to see that.
As one with some experience in Korea (1960s) and from that I gained a great love for the people there, I wish them only the best, always.
Though many things there seemed kind of “undeveloped” at that time, I also sensed a drive and energy among the people, such that I knew they were building for future great success.
I understand it’s very expensive there, so that people are not having as many children as they might.
You are a good and kind person. as well as smart. I have Korean friends and former colleagues I value greatly, and I, too, wish them all the best. They are certainly an intelligent and industrious people.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.