South Korea has launched high-speed train to help improve country’s birth rate by cutting commuting times, Sky News has reported.
Young people have complained about the cramped living conditions and expensive housing in greater Seoul, plus long commutes, as motives for not getting married and starting a family.
The country has the world’s lowest birth rate as the average number of expected babies for a South Koreanwoman during her child-bearing life fell to a record low of 0.72 from 0.78 in 2022, according to data from Statistics Korea.
Seoul’s birth rate is even lower than the national average and government efforts have failed to reverse the decline with subsidies – 360 trillion won (£213bn) since 2006.
As per the report, officials are relying on the Great Train eXpress (GTX) to spur the rates expected to provide six lines linking Seoul to several outlying areas by 2035.
On Friday, President Yoon Suk Yeol inaugurated a section of the first line, which will cut the commute time from Suseo in the capital to the township of Dongtan, south of Seoul, to 19 minutes instead of 80 minutes by bus.
Land Minister Park Sang-woo said the GTX would allow young people to consider homes far away from the capital without having to spend hours commuting. “With a two-hour commute on the way home, for example, how can anyone make time for babies? The idea is to give people more leisure time after work,” he said.
