The Korean government’s current campaign to boost the birth-rate is nothing new. Even the kings of the Choson Dynasty (大朝鮮國, 대조선국, 1392-1910) encouraged people to have more children, because it was so common for the population to fall by one-third whenever an epidemic struck. For triplets, the king would confer 10 sacks of rice to the family. Ten sacks of rice were worth 50 acres of rice paddies at the time.
The Annals of King Myongjong (東文明宗, 명종실록, 1545-1567) records the birth of triplets in Wonju (原州市, 원주시, Wonju-si), Kangwon Province (江原道, 강원도, Kangwon-do) and the birth of quadruplets in Yangsan (梁山市, 양산시, Yangsan-si), South Kyongsang Province (慶尙南道, 경상남도, Kyongsangnam-do). After several years of bad harvests, the finance minister submitted a proposal to downsize the gift to one sack of rice. But King Myongjong (明宗, 명종, 1534-1567 r.1545-1567) insisted on 10 sacks. He was determined to boost the birth-rate and expand the population.
One of the secrets to the success of Fan Li (范蠡, f.6th century BC)—a famous minister in ancient China—was a campaign to promote childbirth. When men and women did not get married by a certain age, the parents were punished. Marriage between two people with a wide age gap was prohibited, because there was a lower chance of bearing children. Remarriages for widows and widowers were encouraged. In his later years, Li recognized the dilemma of an expanding population and a stagnant food supply.
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-1989), however, did not. He thought that a larger population would make the nation stronger and so he banned abortion and birth control. Women who did not get pregnant were fined. The fertility rate doubled in a year. But what awaited the ‘Children of Ceausescu’ was a crumbled national economy that could not even afford food rations.
It is difficult for me today to understand the French youth that are leading protests opposing pension reform. If the retirement age is modified, they would be left with fewer job openings. It is an outcry of the movement known as Génération Précaire (Precarious Generation) born in 2005 and still active, which suffers from high unemployment. A great challenge looms. France is having a baby boom because of generous benefits, but will there be enough food in France to feed its new generations?
After seeing the case of France, is it rash worry about Korea? The low fertility rate is an urgent issue, but Koreans must not forget to secure food and jobs for future generations. The last thing they should see is children protesting in the streets and asking why people had children in a country with no jobs!
The Annals of King Myongjong (東文明宗, 명종실록, 1545-1567) records the birth of triplets in Wonju (原州市, 원주시, Wonju-si), Kangwon Province (江原道, 강원도, Kangwon-do) and the birth of quadruplets in Yangsan (梁山市, 양산시, Yangsan-si), South Kyongsang Province (慶尙南道, 경상남도, Kyongsangnam-do). After several years of bad harvests, the finance minister submitted a proposal to downsize the gift to one sack of rice. But King Myongjong (明宗, 명종, 1534-1567 r.1545-1567) insisted on 10 sacks. He was determined to boost the birth-rate and expand the population.
One of the secrets to the success of Fan Li (范蠡, f.6th century BC)—a famous minister in ancient China—was a campaign to promote childbirth. When men and women did not get married by a certain age, the parents were punished. Marriage between two people with a wide age gap was prohibited, because there was a lower chance of bearing children. Remarriages for widows and widowers were encouraged. In his later years, Li recognized the dilemma of an expanding population and a stagnant food supply.
Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1918-1989), however, did not. He thought that a larger population would make the nation stronger and so he banned abortion and birth control. Women who did not get pregnant were fined. The fertility rate doubled in a year. But what awaited the ‘Children of Ceausescu’ was a crumbled national economy that could not even afford food rations.
It is difficult for me today to understand the French youth that are leading protests opposing pension reform. If the retirement age is modified, they would be left with fewer job openings. It is an outcry of the movement known as Génération Précaire (Precarious Generation) born in 2005 and still active, which suffers from high unemployment. A great challenge looms. France is having a baby boom because of generous benefits, but will there be enough food in France to feed its new generations?
After seeing the case of France, is it rash worry about Korea? The low fertility rate is an urgent issue, but Koreans must not forget to secure food and jobs for future generations. The last thing they should see is children protesting in the streets and asking why people had children in a country with no jobs!
Giorgio Olivotto
Seoul, Korea
May 1, 2011
Seoul, Korea
May 1, 2011
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