Why South Korea has a record low birth rate

Summary

The video discusses the declining birth rate in South Korea, attributing it to societal pressures to create 'perfect' children and an inflated sense of average standards. It suggests that parents' helicopter tendencies and the pursuit of unrealistic ideals contribute to stress and low self-esteem, which may deter people from starting families. The speaker advocates for a focus on personal passions and non-materialistic values to improve mental well-being and potentially reverse the trend.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The global trend of declining birth rates is discussed, with a focus on South Korea's particularly low rate, historically at 0.72.
• 👶 The concept of 'helicopter parenting' is introduced as a possible factor contributing to the birth rate decline, where parents are overly involved in their children's activities.
• 🏊‍♂️ The script highlights the pressure on children to participate in various extracurricular activities, which may not always align with their interests.
• 🎮 A comparison is made to playing The Sims, where the desire to create a 'perfect' character is likened to the societal pressure to create a 'perfect' child.
• 🤔 The script questions whether the pursuit of perfection in children is healthy, suggesting it may lead to stress and a lack of understanding of one's own interests.
• 📈 The 'pigil' or 'inflated average' phenomenon in South Korea is discussed, where societal standards are skewed, leading to a feeling of inadequacy among individuals.
• 📚 The script touches on the competitive and grade-obsessed culture in South Korea, which may contribute to low self-esteem and a lack of personal fulfillment.
• 💬 The philosophy of 'janga' is introduced, emphasizing the importance of pursuing activities that bring personal joy, rather than focusing solely on utility or monetary gain.
• 🌱 The need for South Koreans to discover and value personal interests and passions is emphasized as a way to improve self-esteem and potentially increase the birth rate.
• 📱 The negative impact of social media on self-esteem is discussed, as it often leads to comparisons with others and a loss of personal dignity.

Q & A

What is the current birth rate in South Korea mentioned in the script?

The current birth rate in South Korea is mentioned as being around 0.72, which is considered the lowest in the history of the world.

What term is used to describe parents who are overly involved in their children's lives as described in the script?

The term used to describe parents who are overly involved in their children's lives is 'helicopter moms'.

What is the Korean term for private academies that are mentioned in the script?

The Korean term for private academies mentioned in the script is 'Hagwon'.

Why does the speaker think the birth rate is declining in South Korea?

The speaker suggests that the birth rate is declining in South Korea due to the pressure to create 'perfect children' and the societal expectation to excel in various areas, leading to stress and burnout.

What does the speaker compare the parenting style in South Korea to?

The speaker compares the parenting style in South Korea to playing The Sims, where players often try to make their simulated characters 'perfect'.

What is 'pigil' and how does it relate to the inflated average mindset in South Korea?

'Pigil' is a term that refers to the inflated average mindset in South Korea, where people perceive the average to be higher than it actually is in various aspects like height, grades, and income, leading to a feeling of inadequacy.

What philosophy does the speaker mention that could help South Koreans focus on their dignity?

The speaker mentions the philosophy of 'Jango', which emphasizes that human dignity comes from loving and doing things that are useless in a practical sense, such as enjoying nature or spending time with pets.

Why does the speaker believe social media is detrimental to self-esteem?

The speaker believes social media is detrimental to self-esteem because it constantly exposes individuals to others who appear more successful, leading to a loss of dignity and a feeling of inadequacy.

What advice does the speaker give to South Koreans to improve their quality of life and potentially increase the birth rate?

The speaker advises South Koreans to focus on their personal passions and interests, to avoid comparing themselves to others, and to live in the present moment, which could lead to a happier life and potentially a higher birth rate.

What does the speaker suggest as an alternative to the current competitive and achievement-focused mindset in South Korea?

The speaker suggests developing a mindset that values personal interests and passions over achievements and competition, and focusing on the non-material aspects of life that bring happiness and fulfillment.

Outlines

00:00

🌞 Declining Birth Rates in South Korea

The speaker introduces the topic of declining birth rates, particularly focusing on South Korea, which is experiencing the lowest birth rate in its history at 0.72. The discussion highlights the global trend of declining birth rates, even in countries with strong social systems like Finland. The speaker suggests that the pursuit of creating 'perfect children' through intense parenting, often referred to as 'helicopter parenting,' might be contributing to this trend. This style of parenting involves parents orchestrating their children's activities and education to an extreme degree, which may lead to stress and a lack of personal fulfillment for the children.

05:00

🤔 The Pressure of 'Pigi' and Inflated Averages in South Korea

The speaker delves into the South Korean concept of 'pigi,' which refers to an inflated sense of average standards. This mindset leads to a general feeling of inadequacy as people constantly compare themselves to unrealistic expectations. The term 'oding' is introduced, which is a grading system where grade five is considered average, but societal pressure often deems it as below par. This skewed perception of average contributes to a widespread sense of low self-esteem and dissatisfaction among the population, which may be a factor in the country's low birth rate.

10:03

🌱 Embracing Uselessness for Human Dignity

The speaker discusses the philosophy of Jang Jai, emphasizing the importance of human dignity through the love of 'useless' things, such as walking in the park or spending time with pets. This philosophy is contrasted with the South Korean tendency to view individuals as tools for productivity and success, often measured by material wealth or academic achievement. The speaker argues that this focus on measurable success leads to a loss of personal identity and happiness, which in turn affects the birth rate. The speaker suggests that South Koreans need to rediscover their personal passions and values that are not tied to material success to improve their quality of life and potentially reverse the trend of declining birth rates.

15:05

📚 Redefining Success and Encouraging Personal Passions

In the final paragraph, the speaker advocates for a shift in values where success is not defined by traditional metrics like academic scores or wealth. Instead, success should be about finding and pursuing personal passions, even if they do not lead to conventional achievements. The speaker suggests that this approach would lead to a more fulfilling life, where individuals are not pressured to meet societal expectations but are encouraged to explore and embrace their unique interests. This change in perspective could help improve mental well-being and potentially influence the birth rate by creating a more supportive and joyful environment for raising children.

Keywords

💡Birth Rate Decline

The decline in birth rates refers to the phenomenon where fewer babies are being born in a given population over time. In the context of the video, this is a global trend, with South Korea being highlighted as having one of the lowest birth rates in history, currently at around 0.72. The speaker suggests that societal pressures and the pursuit of perfection in child-rearing might be contributing factors to this decline.

💡Helicopter Moms

Helicopter moms are parents who are overly involved in their children's lives, constantly monitoring and managing their activities. The video uses this term to describe a parenting style where children are shuttled from one extracurricular activity to another, often without considering the child's own interests or desires, which can lead to stress and a lack of personal fulfillment.

💡Inflation of Average

Inflation of average in the video refers to the skewed perception of what constitutes an 'average' standard in society, leading to inflated expectations. For instance, the speaker mentions that while the average height of South Korean men is 174 cm, societal pressure suggests that being 178 cm is necessary to be considered average, which can lead to feelings of inadequacy.

💡Pigi (Inflating Average)

Pigi is a Korean term that describes the cultural tendency to inflate the average standards in various aspects of life, such as height, grades, or income. The video explains how this mindset can create a sense of inadequacy among individuals who do not meet these inflated averages, contributing to low self-esteem and societal pressure.

💡Grade System (Dung)

The grade system (dung) mentioned in the video is a grading scale where grade one is the highest and grade nine is the lowest. The speaker uses this system to illustrate how the inflated average mindset in South Korea can lead people to perceive an average grade five as a failure, even though it technically represents an average performance.

💡Self-Esteem

Self-esteem, as discussed in the video, refers to an individual's overall sense of self-worth or personal value. The inflated average mindset and societal pressures can erode self-esteem, as people constantly compare themselves to unrealistic standards and feel they are not good enough.

💡Jango (Philosophy)

Jango is a philosophical concept introduced in the video, emphasizing that human dignity comes from engaging in activities that are not necessarily productive or profitable but are personally fulfilling. The speaker suggests that South Koreans need to adopt this philosophy to focus on personal passions and non-materialistic values, which could potentially improve their quality of life and address the low birth rate issue.

💡Dignity

Dignity in the video is discussed as an intrinsic value that cannot be measured or compared, such as personal passions or the joy derived from simple activities. The speaker argues that focusing on dignity can help individuals resist societal pressures and find fulfillment, which is essential for personal happiness and mental health.

💡Social Media Influence

The video touches on the influence of social media, which can exacerbate the problem of comparing oneself to others and feeling inadequate. The constant exposure to curated, idealized versions of others' lives can turn off the 'dignity part' of one's brain, leading to lowered self-esteem and a focus on materialistic or superficial measures of success.

💡Perfect Child

The concept of a 'perfect child' in the video refers to the societal and parental pressure to mold children into achieving high standards in academics, sports, and other extracurricular activities. This pressure can lead to stress and a lack of personal identity, as children may feel they are being pushed into activities for the sake of appearances rather than personal enjoyment or growth.

💡Personal Passions

Personal passions are individual interests or hobbies that bring joy and fulfillment. The video suggests that encouraging personal passions, rather than focusing solely on achievements that meet societal standards, can lead to a more balanced and happier life. This approach can also influence how children are raised, allowing them to explore and develop their own identities and interests.

Highlights

The birth rate is declining globally, even in countries with strong social systems.

South Korea currently has the lowest birth rate in history, at around 0.72.

The concept of 'helicopter moms' and the pressure to create a 'perfect child' may contribute to the low birth rate.

Parents in South Korea often push their children into extracurricular activities, whether the child is interested or not.

The idea of creating a 'perfect child' is compared to playing The Sims, where players often strive for perfection.

The concept of 'pigil' or 'inflated average' in South Korea leads to a skewed perception of what is considered average.

The inflated average mindset can lead to low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy among South Koreans.

Jango's philosophy emphasizes human dignity through loving and doing what is 'useless' in a traditional sense.

South Koreans are encouraged to focus on non-materialistic values and personal passions to improve their quality of life.

The pursuit of material success and societal approval can lead to a loss of personal dignity and happiness.

The video suggests that a shift in values towards personal passions and away from materialism could improve birth rates.

Social media's portrayal of success can negatively impact self-esteem and contribute to the decline in birth rates.

The video concludes with a call to action for South Koreans to focus on personal happiness and self-love.

The importance of trying new things and finding personal passions, even if they don't align with societal expectations, is emphasized.

The video suggests that a more individualistic and passion-driven approach to life could lead to a happier and more fulfilling society.

Transcripts

hello everyone I'm out here it's a very

sunny nice day around me is just a

nature I want to talk about like a

little bit about like the birth rate

decline of South Korea it's it's a big

Trend in the whole globe like even even

the countries that are believed to have

beautiful um country system and like

some countries like Finland have a very

nice child Healthcare System and

northern European countries those

countries were believed to have like a

nice system that people have will have

no trouble deciding to have a baby or

like start a family but still like even

finland's birth rate was going down so

it's like weird because almost every

country is starting to have a decline

but well let's just focus on South Korea

because like we all know the whole

world's uh birth rate is declining so

let's like focus on South Korea cuz I'm

I am here this is South Korea by the way

some Koreans are riding on their bike

it's like you know I'm I'm actually here

anyways it's good to you know be in

South Korea when we talk about the low

birth rate because this is like um the

lowest birth rate in the whole history

of Earth we're at currently about 0.72

or something let me tell you my thoughts

on why that's

happening I think um so tldr I think

it's because we are trying to make a

perfect child like you know this term

called helicopter moms where they pick

up their child and they quickly go to

the next um you know Academy or it could

we call it Hagan in Korea but what they

do is they pick up their kit let's say

he's David like David hops on the car

and David Goes to like this um swimming

class and then he learns swimming comes

out after like an hour and Mom's waiting

with her car and she's like come on

David no time to waste and then they go

to um let's say like a reading you know

some sort of a some sort of an academy

that they learn it's not public

education it's going to be private

education so that means they are paying

another people to teach their child not

like know the public system they do all

that but why well but there are few

reasons one of the reason is maybe the

child actually wants to learn swimming

so David would be like Mom can I can I

learn swimming I like swimming well then

the nice mom would be like okay well um

sure you can try learning swimming so

that's like case one number two is David

David doesn't want to swim but the mom

was like David if you want to be a a a

beautiful man in the future with a with

a nice body

and if you want to be praised by other

people you have to learn at least one

you know one athletic thing and let's go

swim David doesn't want to learn math

but maybe the mom was like David if you

want to get a good SAT score you have to

learn math like it could be something

like that it could be the the mom trying

to make David a perfect child now

it this reminds me of playing The Sims

because when you play Sims some people

well like at least me when I play Sims I

always make my sim like the perfect one

like you know like never get fat always

has a treadmill or some sort of a like a

working out machine in the room um

always have like cooking 10 Charisma 10

like my sim would be talking with a

mirror all day long and the next day

reading about cooking all day long you

know what I mean like there's this some

sort of urge or like a tendency that I

want to make my sim perfect but should

we do that to our child too or should we

have a mindset of when I have a child

I'm going to make my child perfect it

sounds good right but is it and I don't

think so cuz if my sim I mean my Sim

doesn't have a have an ego but if it did

what if my sim says Hey Sonu I know you

you want me to live a good life but I

don't want to work out I don't want to

read this cooking book can I just order

pizza then if the Sim starts to talk to

you and say that can you actually say

okay then you can do whatever you want

um let's go to

Party um what I want to say is

If the child actually likes studying and

if the child actually wants to do all

those stuff then that's perfect you know

nothing wrong here

but if it's if if if the child like

doesn't really said anything about hey I

like this or I want to do this but if

the parent like pushed or pressured the

child to do this like learn this learn

that and everything and the child is

like okay maybe you know I should do

this because Mom and Dad says I should

do it so they're like learning something

without knowing why they're doing it and

that becomes a stress

because that becomes uh a mental stress

because burnout or all these uh mental

depressions happen when you're doing

something that you don't know why you're

doing they think they have to do at

least that much investment to their

child to become a a good parent I guess

or maybe to present their child a good

life but

in my perspective I think that's

actually the worst thing you can do to a

child if the child actually likes to

learn math and actually likes to learn

swimming that's a good thing to do as a

parent but not asking what the child

wants but just pressuring them to do

this and that sounds a bit like

Sims and I I don't think that's a good

way to raise a child

so I want to talk about this really

toxic trade in Korea it's called

pigi in English it means inflated

average South Korean male has an average

height of

1744 CM so that means most of the

majority are

but when we go to like Soul or like a

like a club or like a you know place

where there's like a lot of

people they always say oh I think you

know to become like average in Korea you

have to be at least

178 but in real in reality 178 is

actually higher than average but they

think they're like their average mind

average like feeling is skewed they feel

176 or

1778 is

average that's inflated average in um

it's very prevalent in South Korea and

it applies to a lot of of categories for

example there's also this term

called it's like a short term of oding

it means there's this grade system dung

it means like a grade grade system where

grade one is the best and grade grade

nine is the

worst so basically that means grade five

is in the middle it's like the average

score and when some person writes a

comment or you know starts to debate

about something but when they seem to be

off topic or when they seem to look dumb

a little bit they write down which

means which means oh the national

average is grade five it's say it's it's

it's it's saying that grade five is a

low score saying most majority of people

are dumb saying the since the average

score is grade five and in their mindset

grade five feels very

low they they are saying that this

commenter is dumb but in

reality if that person actually got like

a like a great grade five and that means

that person is an average isn't that so

so it it means most of the Koreans have

like a mindset that the average score is

a low score I mean then who is who gets

the average like what is the real

average

like they think at least you have to get

a grade three and grade three is like

top 177% so they think Koreans think you

have to be at least top maybe 20% to

become the ideal average so what does

that mean the all the lower 80% will

feel like oh I'm not

enough this is so

prevalent in South Korea height grade

money like how much money you make so

because of this skewed like inflated

average

mindset most people

feel inadequate most people feel they

are not good enough so because of this

inflated average

mindset most people have a low

self-esteem I want to finish this video

by talking about Jango in Korean we call

it

changa his philosophy is about human

dignity and he said human dignity comes

from when we love stuff that is useless

and that could be for example loving you

know our dog loving walking around the

park I mean walking around the park

doesn't make you any money or you know

doesn't make you go up on the history

book you know right it's just walking

around the park because I love to do it

Jong Jaa

said what makes us human

is

doing what you love that is useless what

janga really wanted to say was if you

treat everything in life as something

that you have to be useful and make

money for example walking around the

park before connecting that idea with

like making money you're like oh I'm so

comfortable walking around the park I

love walking around the park it's your

routine but like when that person says

let's make money out of walking around a

park when they treat that to something

that they have to be useful that thing

becomes something that they don't love

anymore but South Koreans

really need this philosophy because most

of them treat themselves as tools they

say hey I have this amount of

certificate hey my grade is like 95 I'm

a I'm a good student but they never talk

about what they love they never talk

about what their dream

is this is basically becoming a tool

it's like not a human it's it's

basically a a factory printed citizen

just to do more work right I think this

is why South Koreans have a low birth

rate it's just too depressing to focus

your life on making more money and

getting proved that you are a good

worker and being praised that you have

10 certificates 10 like 100 on your math

test but they never talk about my

favorite moment in life is walking

around the lake listening to music my

favorite moment in in life is walking my

dog or giving food to my cat or saving

other peoples and I think underlying the

low birth rate of South Korea the root

of the problem is this South Koreans

lack

philosophy they're always like ah you

have to at least make six figures when

you're about 30 years

old well then are the people who doesn't

make that amount amount of money at age

30 are they losers no they're perfectly

fine they're all perfectly fine human

beings like you know what I mean if if

we start to put a guideline that is

measurable there's always a winner and a

loser but we can't do that to

humans I

mean to protect your self-esteem and

other people's self-esteem we should

always talk about a value that is not

comparable that the values that is

always um measurable only by by

you for example like my love towards um

let's say running around uh the lake

listening to a music that's what I love

I

cannot tell you how much I love it

because it's it's a value only inside me

of course somebody maybe has the same

hobby or the same thing like maybe you

might love to walk around the lake

listening to your favorite music but

like the music's going to be different

the pace of walking is going to be

different the feeling when you approach

the water is going to be different

everything is just

personal and that is dignity when a

value is not convertible to another

value let's say money or like gold you

know time that is

dignity South Koreans need this they

don't have dignity they need to focus on

the present right now what they love and

they need to develop more and learn who

they are oh I didn't know but I liked

plants like this oh I didn't know but I

liked piano music they need to learn

about more about themselves and just

live in right

now trying to um just fill their life

with more things that they love and that

brings up happiness and that will make

your life more happier maybe eventually

you know

they will have a kid and maybe they'll

say oh I should raise my kid like me so

maybe they'll say son it could be like

David David number two David it's okay

to get a zero score on math or maybe 10

like 20 what what matters is you enjoy

math what matters is you had a fun time

taking the test what matters is you have

a goal it it doesn't need to be math or

whatever but what matters is you have

something that you're passionate about

and if you're not I'll help you finding

it

so I think when South Koreans finally

focus on um the dignity part of life or

you know what makes us human part I

think they will

be hugging their child when they come

back with a low score saying it's okay

what matters is not giving up and trying

out what you love and trying to find out

what your love if you don't like math

that's totally fine what matters is you

tried taking the math test and figured

out that maybe it's not your thing but

that doesn't make you a lesser person it

makes you a person actually a better

person because you tried to find what

you love in your life so plus one try

I think that's what we need in South

Korea and I think that's why the birth

rate is going down and the reason why

like you know other successful countries

like Finland or like rich countries you

know the reason why their birth rates

are going down is because social media

shows even richer people there's always

a richer people than you there's always

someone richer when you see that on the

social

media your dignity part turns off and

you're like oh maybe I'm not good enough

maybe I need more money maybe I need

this maybe I need a a a bigger chest a

wider shoulder a better looking face

your dignity part in your brain turns

off suddenly when you look at other

successful people's or other you know

social

media that's why social media is bad for

you because your dignity part of your of

your your philosophy suddenly turns off

because it's really hard to resist that

it's really hard to resist

that's a different person from me so I

should not start comparing it's really

hard to do this even I look at like

social media you know and think like oh

I want to be like him it's it just

happens naturally it's really hard to

resist that

but we have to train ourself not to

compare to others and just focus on

yourself and your life you know and just

you know you you get what I'm saying

yeah so anyways

I hope you liked it and I hope you have

a good day and I hope you find what you

love and I hope you practice and

actually do fill your life with all the

stuff that you love thank you for

watching and I'll see you in the next

video bye-bye