Elite Overproduction is in full swing in South Korea. The costs of entering the upper class are increasing and the consequences of failing to enter it are getting worse. People are having almost no children because the costs are so high and the experience of being a child is so brutal (16+ hours of schooling a day is common).
I believe it was Malcom Kyeyune who joked that if North Korea nuked Seoul, it would be the best thing to ever happen to young people in South Korea.
The birth rate in South Korea is like 1/4th the birth rate of North Korea.
No. Upper class in Korea is more in reach than many other countries in the world. The elites control a lot of money, but it's not as bad as other countries either, and there are more of them.
People are having less children because there is constant downwards pressure to have less children, by society, by politics, by wealth/industry.
Having a kid doesn't cost a lot in South Korea. In fact it's usually beneficial. The problem is that having a kid basically means your main source of income is vulnerable and your situation will more than likely be negatively affected.
> Upper class in Korea is more in reach than many other countries in the world
This is how elite overproduction tends to happen. I suggest you read some of the writing on the causes and effects of EO. The Good Ol Boyz podcast has some episodes on EO in Korea that are pretty good.
If you can get into a relatively high status position by doing better than your peers in a school test, and you’re out of luck otherwise, of course many people are going to spend 16 hours a day studying for those tests.
> People are having less children because there is constant downwards pressure to have less children
Where would you say this pressure comes from and is communicated?
> Having a kid… it's usually beneficial… your situation will more than likely be negatively affected.
Oh yeah. There is an overproduction of elites in Korea. If what you mean by "they all want to be upper professions of society" etc.
Being a labourer is often highly regarded in lots of low population or first world countries. Not in Korea. Not even without significant immigration. They are just all sardines trying to squeeze into the upper jobs. No one wants to be left out and certainly doesn't consider it a career path.
>Where would you say this pressure comes from and is communicated?
Their workforce and/or lack off work stability, almost entirely.
>This seems contradictory.
If you take it out of context..... yes. But I just said that it'd be financially beneficial to have a kid. But then also introduces instability that might pull the rug underneath when your financially beneficial decision removes your larger chunk of income.
i.e. babies are very affordable, and you get benefits that aren't bad. But also this coincides with losing your job due to having a baby. It's not contradictory as they're both alternate directions. Your job is stable whilst having a baby AND you have a baby? You're benefiting. You have a baby and it ruins your income stream? Those extra savings from having a baby are cancelled out.
I believe it was Malcom Kyeyune who joked that if North Korea nuked Seoul, it would be the best thing to ever happen to young people in South Korea.
The birth rate in South Korea is like 1/4th the birth rate of North Korea.