Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), met with Kim Jin-oh, Vice Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, and stated that the business community will join efforts to address Korea's low birthrate.
The KCCI announced Thursday that Chairman Chey met with Vice Chairperson Kim at the KCCI building in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 27th.
The meeting was held as part of Vice Chairperson Kim's "communication with the business community" initiative on low birthrate measures, following his inauguration in April. The KCCI and the committee exchanged views on the roles of government and corporations in responding to demographic challenges, including the low birthrate.
Chairman Chey said the business community would also contribute to overcoming the low birthrate. "The low birthrate is not simply a matter of fertility rates, but a structural problem in which slowing national growth, concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area, and fierce competition are intertwined," he said. "It is important to create an environment in which young people can have hope and choose to marry and have children through a comprehensive approach, such as a mega sandbox that addresses regional revitalization and economic growth together."
Vice Chairperson Kim also emphasized the role of corporations. "The success or failure of the low birthrate response depends on creating an environment in which young people can plan their future and on changes in the workplace," he explained. "We will work to improve on-site systems and expand support so that companies' implementation of work-family balance programs becomes not a managerial burden but the most reliable investment for securing top talent and sustaining growth."
