"Korean woman’s 'marriage-free ceremony' garners foreign media attention: 'I will not become anyone's wife or mother'"

Recently, the number of women in Korea choosing not to marry has been increasing, and foreign media are also paying attention to this phenomenon in Korea.

On the 20th (local time), Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a 'non-marriage ceremony' is beginning among single women in Korea who oppose marriage.

 

According to the National Statistical Office, as of November 2023, 51% of Koreans in their 30s are unmarried. This is approximately four times higher than in 2000, with over 60% of them unmarried in Seoul.

The biggest reason for hesitating to get married is the financial burden. In Korea, it is common to prepare a new home at the same time as getting married, but due to the rapid rise in real estate prices in Seoul and the metropolitan area, many newlyweds start their married life with debt. Additionally, SCMP pointed out that the average cost of a wedding in Korea is known to be about 300 million won.

The birth rate is also declining rapidly. South Korea's total fertility rate in 2023 is 0.72, and in 2024 it is 0.75, the lowest in the world. Among OECD member countries, South Korea is the only country with a fertility rate below 1. The number of newborns decreased by 7.7% from the previous year to 230,000, which is about half of what it was ten years ago.

 

SCMP warned that "if Korea does not change its current structure, society itself could collapse."

 

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The biggest reason for hesitating to get married is said to be the financial burden.

 

It's just money..

 

Starting married life with debt is not only difficult but also challenging.

 

These days, the younger generation thinks there's no need to get married at all since they don't even plan to have children.

 

If we keep heading in this direction... it will become a country where it's hard to even see the children.