Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Seoul mayoral candidates urged to put families at heart of every policy
Lee Myung-sun, professor emeritus at Ewha Womans University, speaks during a policy forum at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, May 7. Courtesy of Federation for Korean Families
By Jung Min-ho
172 civic groups demand new standards to make decisions based on 'family impact'
The next mayor of Seoul should put families at the center of every major policy decision, from transport and housing to labor and budgeting — instead of merely adding yet another targeted support scheme. That is the core message of 172 civic groups ahead of the June 3 local elections, as they call for the adoption of a new “family impact” standard to be applied across all city policies.
At a policy forum hosted by the Federation for Korean Families and nine other organizations in central Seoul on May 7, the groups released a joint manifesto urging all mayoral candidates to “reflect family impact in all Seoul governance,” not just in a handful of welfare programs.
“Over the past few decades, central and local governments have poured astronomical sums of money into trying to overcome this (demographic) crisis. But what has been the result?” the joint statement said. “The reason is clear. Policy has not treated the family as a single, living community, but has instead carved people up into fragmented individuals — women, children, older people and youth. One-off cash handouts and stopgap measures may briefly dull the pain, but they cannot be a fundamental solution.”
Specifically, the groups urged all major candidates — incumbent Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party, Chong Won-o of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Kim Jung-chul of the Reform Party — to establish a comprehensive system to check and review every city policy based on whether it helps or hurts family life, and to treat family outcomes as a basic benchmark at City Hall.
Heads of civic groups pose as Cho In-bum, chairman of the standing committee of the Federation for Korean Families, reads a joint statement at Press Center in Seoul, May 7. Courtesy of Federation for Korean Families
“For decades, Seoul’s fertility has effectively served as a leading indicator of national trends,” said Lee Sam-sik, director at Hanyang University Institute of Ageing Society, warning that what happens to Seoul’s birthrate from here “will go a long way toward determining the country’s demographic trajectory.”
According to 2025 figures, the capital’s total fertility rate stands at 0.63, up from 0.58 in 2024, yet still by far the lowest among the country’s 17 provinces and major cities. Nationwide, Korea’s total fertility rate stands at 0.8, a rebound from 0.75 in 2024 but still the lowest among OECD member countries.
Lee described the current low birth trend as the product of systems, not individual choices. He pointed to long working hours and precarious jobs that make it hard to choose family life at all, a care system that still leans heavily on unpaid mothers, and housing costs that leave many young people feeling that marriage and child-rearing are simply out of reach.
“Seoul’s policy response to low fertility has achieved some results in terms of quantitative expansion … but it shows clear limits in policy integration and real impact,” he said. “These shortcomings highlight the need to shift toward a different, family-friendly population policy, and future measures will have to be reorganized away from project-by-project fixes toward a more structural and integrated approach.”
Civic group leaders sign a manifesto board during a policy forum at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, May 7. Courtesy of Federation for Korean Families
Choi Eun-sil, a professor at Korea University's Department of Home Economics Education, said Korea’s low birthrate will not be reversed by money alone.
“Economic factors such as housing costs, child-rearing expenses and job insecurity are major entry barriers to marriage and childbirth. However, the fact that fertility rates actually fall once income rises above a certain level, showing a nonlinear pattern, reveals the limits of purely economic explanations,” she said.
Choi proposed introducing pre-parenthood education into the high school curriculum as a way of changing the negative perceptions of child-rearing. She added that the media should also play its part by moving away from “ultra‑luxury parenting shows” and instead showing the small, everyday joys of ordinary families.