Everyone says it’s about the economy and housing prices, but as a Korean, I see it a little differently.

There are many countries with even more difficult living conditions and almost no housing that meets basic standards - yet they have birth rates over 4.0.

In my view, the real problem is that everyone now uses social apps and constantly compares their lives to others. Thirty years ago, without social media, people were content living in a small home in a rural area with their local neighbors, raising five children in a 50-square-meter studio. There was no issue with that, because everyone else in the neighborhood did the same. But now, seeing luxurious lifestyles on Instagram or YouTube, everyone wants a penthouse near the Han River, two rooms per child - costing around $5m.

This phenomenon is happening everywhere, not just in Korea, but I believe it’s more extreme here because of our culture. We tend to follow our peers and compete with them, constantly comparing our lives to theirs.

👷🏻‍♂️hardhat at hunt.town & mint.club


musician: gigameshmusic.com | dev: github.com/gigamesh

I agree, but I also think AI might be Korea’s only hope, given the birth rate of just 0.78. If half of the population vanishes and society ages in few decades, doubling labor productivity becomes vital, and AI may be the only way to achieve it.

+1 but not really possible to fix with policy