The number of babies born in Korea fell for the first time in 19 months in September, as the government continues efforts to boost the nation's chronic low birthrate, a report showed Thursday.
According to the report by Statistics Korea, 39,300 babies were born in September, a drop of 3,000, or 7.1 percent, from a year earlier.
"The decline is attributed to relatively high baby births tallied in September last year," an agency official said. "We cannot say that the drop will become a trend based on just one month's figures."
Korea's birth rate remains relatively low at about 1.23.
The government has been working to boost childbirths on worries that the low number of births, coupled with an aging population, will lead to a reduction in the number of working people and eventually undercut the nation's economic growth.
In the same month, the report showed that 20,200 Koreans died, down 1.5 percent, or 300, from a year earlier.
About 21,100 couples tied the knot in September, down 0.5 percent from a year earlier, while divorces rose 8.7 percent to 10,000, according to the report.
In a separate report, the agency said 654,000 people changed their legal residence in October, down 2.5 percent from a year earlier. (Yonhap)