More than 160 schools have no new students amid record-low birthrate

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More than 160 elementary, middle and high schools across the country had zero new students this year as the country experiences a record-low birthrate and at the same time, an aging population.

According to Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, Thursday, a total of 164 schools ― 145 elementary schools, 11 middle schools and eight high schools ― had no new students this year.

By region, North Gyeongsang Province had the highest number at 34, followed by South Jeolla Province at 30. Both North Jeolla Province and Gangwon Province had 23 such schools.

The data indicated that most schools at risk of being closed down due to an insufficient number of students are located in rural areas, as an increasing number of parents opt to move to big cities to put their children in better schools.

The problem is expected to worsen in the not-so-distant future, as 2,138, or 17.6 percent, out of 12,164 elementary, middle and high schools across the country in total had less than 10 new students this year.

North Gyeongsang Province had 344 such schools that accounted for 36.6 percent of the total in that region, while South Jeolla Province had 343 accounting for 40.9 percent of the total there.

According to the report announced on Tuesday by the National Assembly Budget Office, the population of children aged under 14 is expected to reach 3.18 million in 2040, a 49.6 percent fall from 6.32 million in 2020, if the current fertility rate, which came to a record low of 0.7 in the second quarter of this year, continues.

“Government support to create jobs and improve settlement conditions in rural areas, as well as the investment into education for these regions, are needed as schools’ shutdown will accelerate the crisis faced by the regions,” Rep. An said.