Yoon calls for bold measures to address low birth rate

SEOUL, March 8 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol called Wednesday for bold measures to address the country's record-low birth rate, his office said.

Yoon issued the order while receiving a briefing on the operation plans of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy.

"Please come up with bold and sure measures for the low birth rate so that they can be felt by the people," he said, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.

The briefing was given by committee vice chair Kim Young-mi and Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, among others.

South Korea's fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, fell to an all-time low of 0.78 last year, according to Statistics Korea.

The committee plans to hold a meeting presided over by the president in the near future to discuss its response, Lee said.

hague@yna.co.kr
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