Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
Yoido Full Gospel Church ramps up efforts to tackle low birthrate
A young child plays a game at a Children's Day event hosted by Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, May 5. Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church
By Baek Byung-yeul
Yoido Full Gospel Church is stepping up its efforts to combat the country’s chronically low birthrate by expanding its financial support and community programs for multichild families, demonstrating how religious communities can help address the national demographic crisis.
The move comes as the country’s total fertility rate stood at 0.95 in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. While showing a slight rebound, the figure is still very low by global standards, which is why the church decides to take a more active role in supporting families.
To mark World Population Day on July 11, the country’s largest megachurch announced Thursday that it will hold a special ceremony during its Sunday service on July 12. The church will present appreciation plaques and cash prizes to 42 families with five or more children, and plans to expand this initiative next year to include families with four children.
Under the program, the church will distribute a total of 33.3 million won ($22,000) in incentives. Families with five children will receive 700,000 won each, while those with six or more children will receive 1 million won.
Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of the church, has been at the forefront of the campaign, consistently urging more dramatic steps to solve the population crisis.
"Cherishing life and nurturing the next generation is the most important mission for the Kingdom of God," Lee said. "We must build a culture where childbirth and childcare are celebrated as blessings within the community."
Lee has advocated for aggressive, breakthrough measures at the national level as well. He argued that conventional approaches are no longer enough to reverse the trend.
At Yoido Full Gospel Church, Lee has encouraged members to have big families by setting a clear guideline.
"Having three children should be the baseline, and five is highly recommended," Lee said, adding that religious communities must share the emotional and financial burdens of parenting, rather than leaving it as an individual responsibility.
To better understand the demographic trends within its community, the church recently conducted an internal survey of its female congregants aged between 15 and 49.
The survey showed that the church's long-standing childbirth incentive program, which has been in place since 2012, has yielded positive results. Among the families that received childbirth grants from the church, 81.3 percent had two or more children, significantly higher than the 23.3 percent among non-beneficiaries.
Moving forward, the church plans to step up its support by expanding financial aid for childbirth and strengthening childcare programs. Its ultimate goal is to create a church-led model for raising the next generation that can serve as an example for the whole society.