• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.29-42
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• 2021

As the low fertility intensifies in Korea, this study investigated fundamental differences between the government's low fertility policy and public perception of it. To this end, we selected four times 'Aging Society and Population Policy' documents and news comments for two weeks immediately after announcement of the third and fourth Policy as analysis targets. Then we conducted word frequency analysis, co-occurrence analysis and CONCOR analysis. As a result of analyses, first, direct childcare support during the first and second periods, and a social structural approach during third and fourth periods were noticeable. Second, it was revealed that both policies and comments aim for the work-family compatibility in 'parenting'. Lastly it was showed public interest in environment of raising children and the critical mind to effectiveness of the policy. This study is meaningful in that it confirmed the public perception using big data analysis, and it will help improve the direction for the future low fertility policy.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.105-111
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• 2018

Based on the Statistical Yearbook of 119 Emergency Medical Services in 2017 (National Fire Agency, 2018) and Population Projection by Province: 2015~2045 (Statistics Korea, 2017), this study analyzed the effects of population changes, such as low fertility and aging on the use of ambulance services in the future. The population of Korea is expected to decline after peaking in 2031, but the number of elderly people aged over 70 is expected to continue to increase. The rates of emergency ambulance transport (REAT, the number of patients transferred per 1,000 inhabitants) are not changed significantly, compared to the recent trends, but the ambulance services for elderly over 70 years of age will increase exponentially. Therefore, the population changes due to low fertility and aging is accompanied by a quantitative and qualitative change in ambulance services, and from the long term perspectives, it is necessary to consider not only the effective response of ambulance services due to aging, but also the adjustment of existing jurisdictions due to population changes and the relocation of manpower and resources.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.54 no.11
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• pp.429-435
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• 2011

Although Korean population has been growing steadily during the past four decades, the nation is rapidly becoming an aging society because of its declining birth rate combined with an increasing life expectancy. In addition, Korea has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world due to fewer married couples, advanced maternal age, and falling birth rate. The prevalence of low birth weight infants and multiple births has been increased compared with the decrease in the birth rate. Moreover, the number of congenital anomalies is expected to increase due to the advanced maternal age. In addition, the number of interracial children is expected to increase due to the rise in the number of international marriages. However, the maternal education level is high, single-mother birth rate is low, and the gender imbalance has lessened. The number of overweight babies has been decreased, as more pregnant women are receiving adequate prenatal care. Compared to the Asian average birth weight, the average birth weight is the highest in Asia. Moreover, the rate of low birth weight infants is low, and infant mortality is similarly low across Asia. Using birth data from Statistics Korea and studies of birth outcomes in Korea and abroad, this study aimed to assess the changes in maternal and infant characteristics associated with birth outcomes during the past four decades and identify necessary information infrastructures to study countermeasures the decrease in birth rate and increase in low birth weight infants in Korea.

• STI Policy Review
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.14-26
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• 2013

The $1^{st}$ National Plan for Aging Society with Low Fertility, which the Korean government announced in 2006, caused the gradual increase of R&D investment in order to prepare for an aging society in Korea. This study explores if the directions and strategies of R&D projects related to aging are suitable to improve the quality of life for elderly people and establish a sustainable aging society by analyzing the features of R&D investment from 2004 to 2010. The results show that most R&D projects conducted by departments focus on the development of assistive devices for the elderly to support everyday lives. The Korean government's R&D policy to prepare for an aging society is based on the narrow interpretation of Quality of Life (QoL) in an aging society that tries to resolve the socioeconomic problems of the elderly; however, the policies have ignored the independence of active elderly individuals and the social integration of the young and elderly generations. The research shows that a paradigm shift is required from a 'Senior' to 'Aging Society' because almost 1/3 of the Korean population is over 65 years old and the expansion of the research embraces from assistive technologies for the elderly to the design of social infrastructure such as transportation, education and work.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.100-108
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• 2022

Korean medicine has traditionally provided a lot of medical care for the treatment of infertility. The combination treatment of Korean medicine and Western medicine can be effective for infertility to improve the problems caused by the extremely low fertility rate and the aging of pregnant women. In relation to female infertility, we reviewed the evidence for Korean medicine treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome, which has recently been increasing interest in female infertility, and the evidence for the collaboration between Korean and Western medicine in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome and infertility. Because polycystic ovary syndrome is closely related to metabolic diseases related to endocrine abnormalities, hormone treatment alone has limited therapeutic effects and has side effects. In domestic and international research, herbal medicine and acupuncture in the treatment of infertility have shown good clinical effects based on the hypothesis of various mechanisms of effect, and many cases of successful pregnancy have been reported. Although continuous research through large-scale randomized clinical studies is needed to prove efficacy, the importance of combined treatment of Korean medicine and Western medicine in infertility treatment is increasing in order to solve the extremely low fertility rate. Combining artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization with Korean medicine treatment is highly likely to be effective in increasing pregnancy success and fertility rates. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is recognized as a metabolic disease due to endocrine abnormalities among the causes of female infertility, Korean medicine treatment can increase the pregnancy rate with herbal medicines and acupuncture, etc. Although well-designed large-scale clinical studies are currently lacking and meta-analysis has not provided sufficient evidence, the combination treatment of Korean medicine and Western medicine is more active to increase the pregnancy rate for solving the problem of low fertility.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.15-20
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• 2020

Due to urbanization and industrialization, the population of rural areas has sharply decreased, and the social phenomena of low fertility and aging have occurred due to many factors such as the spread of individualism and single-person households derived from urbanization and economic growth. In order to cope with the low birth rate and the aged society, the Korean government has invested 152.1 trillion won from 2006 to 2015 and to proceeded total 231 projects in 3 different areas including the low fertility(95 projects), the aged society(78 projects), and the growth momentum(58 projects). Among the social problems caused by the low birth rate and the aged society, there have been not enough studies on the closed schools which will result from the social phenomenon of decreases in the school age population. The purpose of this study is to analyze the current extent of utilizing closed schools in Korea, to derive some types based on the analysis, and to provide basic data on the use of closed schools in Korea in the future. The types of closed schools can be classified into education facilities, social welfare facilities, cultural facilities, public sports facilities, income growing facilities, and others. Based on the classification, the analyses of the characteristics of each type for the facilities are presented.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.421-437
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• 2020

This paper implemented a method to predict the fertility rate, mortality rate, and international migration rate using the R program, which has been widely used in recent years, that calculates population projection by substituting the results into the Leslie matrix. In particular, the generalization log gamma model for the fertility rate by Kaneko (2003), LC-ER model for mortality rate by Li et al. (2013), and functional data model for international migration rates proposed by Ramsay and Silverman (2005) and Hyndman and Booth (2008), Hyndman et al. (2013) can be directly demonstrated with R programs. Demography and bayesPop have been introduced as a representative demographic package implemented in R; however, it can be analyzed only for data uploaded to Human Mortality Database (HMD) and Human Fertility Database (HFD) with data changes and modifications requiring application of other data. In particular, in Korea, there is a limitation in applying this package because it is provided only for short-term data in HMD. This paper introduces an R program that can reflect this situation and the different patterns of low fertility, aging, migration of domestic and foreigners in Korea, and derives a population projection for the year 2117.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.59-70
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• 2016

This study aimed to find effective policies to cope with low birth rate in local authorities. It was analyzed the variables-a number of child-care facilities, paid parental leave, labor force participation, and total working hours-using panel analysis from 2005 to 2014. The results were as follows. First, after testing the whole years, we found that the fittest model was the fixed-effects model of 2 models(fixed-effects model, random effects model). A number of child-care facilities had positive effects, and a number of child-care facilities, and total working hours in women influenced negative effects on total fertility rate. Second, during the former time and the period of plan for low birth rate and aging society, a number of child-care facilities influenced negative effects on total fertility rate. Third, a number of child-care facilities had negative effects on total fertility rate in Busan, Daegu, and Kwangju. Paid parental leave influenced positively on total fertility rate in 5 cities and a province. Women's total working hours were a significant variable of total fertility rate in Jeju. This study found that the variables which influenced on total fertility rate were different by local authorities, and a number of child-care facilities and paid parental leave were very important variables on total fertility rate.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.25-51
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• 2017

This paper employs an Overlapping Generations Model to quantify the impacts of Korea's demographic transition toward an older population on the total output growth rate. The model incorporates the projected population through 2060 according by Statistics Korea. The effects of the low fertility and increased life expectancy rates are studied. The model is considered suitable for analyzing the effects of demographic changes on the Korean economy. Under the assumption that the TFP growth rate will not slow considerably in the future, remaining at 1.3% per annum, the gross output growth rate of the Korean economy is projected to slow to 1.1% per annum in the 2050s, from 4.0% in the 2000s. The shrinking workforce due to the decline in fertility plays a significant role in the deceleration of the Korean economy. The increased life expectancy rate is expected to mitigate the negative effect, but the magnitude of its effect is found to be limited.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-141
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to diagnose the fertility of a female western lowland gorilla kept in Seoul Zoo, in accordance with age by analyzing the fecal sex hormone metabolites. The study was conducted in two period of times, when the animal was from 35 to 37 years old and when the animal was from 40 to 42 years old. Non-invasive method by using fecal samples was used for safe and efficient fertility diagnosis. We collected the feces from the enclosure at least three times a week. Then $17{\beta}$-estradiol and progesterone, which are fecal sex hormone metabolites, were measured by time-resolved fluoro-immunoassay to compare the menstruation cycle and the annual reproductive cycle. For the duration of the primary study (when the animal was 35~37 years old), irregular menstruation and high concentrations of estradiol and progesterone were observed. However, menstruation was hardly observed and the concentrations of both hormones were statistically very low in the period of secondary study (when the animal was 40~42 years old). This observed phenomenon in our study was very comparable to menopause in adult women; therefore, it was confirmed that our female gorilla has reached menopause because of the natural aging, as they become older.