Kubra Maharramova writes…
Starting in October, the government will give money to those who get married. Where? In Pusan. But where is Pusan? In the Republic of Korea, also known as South Korea. Note that this country is located in East Asia. Its total area is 100,410 square meters and its population is 51,966,948.
I informed you about the numbers so that we can better imagine where in the world this event took place.
First of all, I would like to say that family traditions and values in the Republic of Korea have a centuries-old history. Thus, the family model is dominated by classic rules, regulations and relationships. Interestingly, at that time, having many children was encouraged in Korea. For example, in the 1960s, a Korean woman had 5-6 children.
According to the Eastern family model, the father was considered to be the eldest in the family. Let me note that even today, in society, a man’s word is more valid. Even in the workplace, if the boss is a man, employees treat him as a father. He, in turn, should treat his employees with fatherly care and listen to each of their problems and solve them.
But recent events have greatly reduced the interest of young people in getting married and starting a family. In other words, young Korean women do not think about getting married. Their desire is to build a better career, work in a better position and live a better quality of life. A young Korean man realizes that after getting married, his life will not be the same as before, family and childcare will disrupt his life. The modern Korean wants to live the life he will once live on his own.
But these plans of Korean youth do not coincide with the plans of the government of the Republic of Korea. Because the country is facing a tragic demographic problem. If there are no married people, there are no newborns either. If there is no new generation, then the country is getting old. The economy is collapsing. Today, a Korean woman has half a child. This is a very low figure. The average age of mothers is 33 years old. I would like to mention that, unlike in Europe, in Korean society it is unacceptable to have a child out of wedlock. This is a very big mistake. Just like us, generation after generation turns away from a person for such an act. Conservative views in society also come from the ancient tradition of marriage. Korean youth should marry the person chosen by their parents, instead of working for the unity of the two families. Love is the ultimate here.
Let’s go back to today’s youth. Note that the average wage in the Republic of Korea is 6.6 USD per hour. This causes a change in the minimum wage of around 1,505 USD (approximately 2,558 AZN).
Of course, an engineer, an IT specialist, a doctor, a lawyer earn more. If you look at what is written on the Internet, holders of this title receive a monthly salary of about 3,500-5,000 US dollars (approximately 5,950-8,500 AZN).
Is this a good amount? In my opinion, yes!
But the costs are much higher, which is why young people do not want to take on family responsibilities.
In short, this is the monthly cost of a Korean.
Rent for a house in the suburbs (Masazır, Khirdalan compared to Azerbaijan) is 500-700 US dollars (850 – 1,190 AZN), near the metro is 1,200 US dollars (2,040 AZN), in the city center is 2,500 US dollars (4,250 AZN).
No, if a Korean who wants to get married wants to buy a house, then the average price of a house in Seoul ranges from half a million to 1 million USD (1.7 million AZN). He will have to pay 150 USD (255 AZN) for utility costs and 30 USD (51 AZN) for internet.
The expenses of a young Korean woman do not end there. Food, clothing, transportation, medical care, etc. In addition to expenses, taxes in Korea are also strictly controlled. The higher a Korean’s income (salary, property, etc.), the more taxes are calculated accordingly.
Of course, why would any sane person get married after so much turmoil?
After all this pressure, no one has lost their minds about having a wedding. Tomorrow there are diapers, baby food, kindergarten and school, new clothes for the woman to wear to the wedding, red and gold.
In the basic game that capitalism has set up, people are now breaking the rules. Capitalism says you work and I earn, the generation increases so that the number of people working for me increases. Man is also saying that at this time. After all this pressure, I am not the one who will take on more burdens, I will not give birth to a child.
The Republic of Korea has decided to provide financial support to young people who are dating with the aim of starting a family, based on the crisis situation.
The program is reportedly set to begin in October. Each young person (both men and women) who meets under this state program will receive an incentive cash prize of approximately 360 USD (612 AZN).
It’s not bad at all. You go on a date, eat and drink at a restaurant, meet your potential spouse, and the government gives you money too. The sequel is more interesting.
If couples decide to start a family, the government will give the young people 20 million Korean won (25,600 AZN) as a wedding gift.
The newlyweds will receive 30 million won (38,000 AZN) to buy a house or 800,000 won (1,020 AZN) per month for 5 years to rent it out.
Now we come to the most interesting part, who can participate in this contest?
Participants must be between 24 and 43 years old and live in Busan. To do so, people must first submit applications, pass the relevant interviews and selection rounds.
And here a series of questions arise: Who chooses and how?
Let me inform you that no matter how developed the Republic of Korea is, being an Eastern country, localism, nepotism, bribery, etc. There are also cases like It is true that the government has been fighting these cases very seriously and harshly in recent years. According to “Transparency International”, South Korea achieves more successes in the fight against corruption every year.
As a side note, slavery was abolished in Korea in 1930. Imagine if 100 years ago there were slaves and slave traders in Korea. Today, the Republic of Korea is not lagging behind Europe and the United States in terms of scientific and technical progress, economic stability, health care and other fields.
Let’s go back to the young people who will meet with government money. I wonder who chooses the young people who will receive this money, how they choose them, how they conduct the contest. Will the election process really be transparent? Because the candidates who will go to the meeting are going to a “blind meeting.” That is, they will meet each other for the first time.
Now you will say, what about you and us?
We believe that in the future the government wants to implement this program not only for Koreans but also for foreigners.
Yes, yes. To overcome the demographic crisis, the government is considering all possible options.
However, this is not the first project to promote family, childhood and marriage in the Republic of Korea. National and regional governments have already tried to solve the demographic crisis by spending billions of dollars.
Experts believe the reason for the low birth rate is the exorbitant cost of raising and educating a child, the ever-increasing cost of housing and fierce competition for well-paying jobs.
One of the main reasons is that the main goal of Korean youth in life is not to start a family, but to build a superior and successful career.
Yes, the capitalist system of the West was able to subvert societies with older Eastern traditions.
Not much, the family and children model that was promoted only 50 years ago is now being replaced by the “childless” model.
But going to a meeting with government money is very interesting. I wonder if we had it, how many people would one person with government money meet with?
