• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.162-173
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• 2014

Among OECD countries, Korea is the only country which has continuously recorded total birthrate below 1.3 person for over 10 years. Since 2006, the Korean government has promoted the population policy in full scale. But, the fertility rate which became low has not shown any sign to go up again. Thus, Korea can be understood as having fallen into 'low fertility trap'. Such a low fertility can cause serious problems such as weakening of national competitive power and even survival of the country. In Korea, due to studies and finding jobs among young women, their childbirths are kept being postponed. In some cases, poor working conditions where women work can cause physical conditions not appropriate for pregnancy. Thus, it is very important to let childbearing women, pregnant women take care of their health. Accordingly, conscious of this low fertility era, this study examined major international organizations and countries' health promoting strategies-with focus on motherhood and suggested some methods to effectively improve health for motherhood.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.126-131
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• 2017

Objective: Oocyte degeneration often occurs after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and the risk factor is low-quality oocytes. The follicular fluid (FF) provides a crucial microenvironment for oocyte development. We investigated the relationships between the FF volume aspirated from individual follicles and oocyte retrieval, oocyte maturity, oolemma stretchability, fertilization, and development. Methods: This retrospective study included data obtained from 229 ICSI cycles. Ovarian stimulation was performed according to a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist protocol. Each follicle was individually aspirated and divided into six groups according to FF volume ( < 1.0, 1.0 to < 2.0, 2.0 to < 3.0, 3.0 to < 4.0, 4.0 to < 5.0, and ${\geq}5.0mL$). Oolemma stretchability during ICSI was evaluated using a mechanical stimulus for oolemma penetration, that is, the stretchability was assessed by oolemma penetration with aspiration (high stretchability) or without aspiration (low stretchability). Results: Oocyte retrieval rates were significantly lower in the < 1.0 mL group than in the ${\geq}1.0mL$ groups (46.0% [86/187] vs. 67.5%-74.3% [172/255 to 124/167], respectively; p< 0.01). Low oolemma stretchability was significantly more common in the < 1.0 mL group than in the ${\geq}1.0mL$ groups during ICSI (22.0% [13/59] vs. 5.8%-9.4% [6/104 to 13/139], respectively; p= 0.018). There was a relationship between FF volume and oolemma stretchability. However, there were no significant differences in the rates of fertilization, cleavage, ${\geq}7$ cells at day 3, and blastocyst development among all groups. Conclusion: FF volume is potentially associated with the stretchability of metaphase II oolemma during ICSI. Regarding oolemma stretchability, ensuring a uniform follicular size during ovarian stimulation is crucial to obtain good-quality oocytes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.41-50
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• 2024

Korea is facing a significant problem with historically low fertility rates, which is becoming a major social issue affecting the economy, labor force, and national security. This study analyzes the factors contributing to the regional gap in fertility rates and derives policy implications. The government and local authorities are implementing a range of policies to address the issue of low fertility. To establish an effective strategy, it is essential to identify the primary factors that contribute to regional disparities. This study identifies these factors and explores policy implications through machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence. The study also examines the influence of media and public opinion on childbirth in Korea by incorporating news and online community sentiment, as well as sentiment fear indices, as independent variables. To establish the relationship between regional fertility rates and factors, the study employs four machine learning models: multiple linear regression, XGBoost, Random Forest, and Support Vector Regression. Support Vector Regression, XGBoost, and Random Forest significantly outperform linear regression, highlighting the importance of machine learning models in explaining non-linear relationships with numerous variables. A factor analysis using SHAP is then conducted. The unemployment rate, Regional Gross Domestic Product per Capita, Women's Participation in Economic Activities, Number of Crimes Committed, Average Age of First Marriage, and Private Education Expenses significantly impact regional fertility rates. However, the degree of impact of the factors affecting fertility may vary by region, suggesting the need for policies tailored to the characteristics of each region, not just an overall ranking of factors.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.263-265
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• 1995

Blood plasma minerals and their effects towards the fertility in 136 cows randomly selected from 26 dairy farms in central Thailand were studied. An average of 8.60 mg% Ca, 5.97 mg% P, 2.45 mg% Mg, $85.9{\mu}g%$ Cu, and $160.9{\mu}g%$ Zn in plasma was observed. Compared to the critical deficient values, 24.3, 10.3, 11.8, 28.7 and 0.0% of the surveyed cows obtained the respective elements in plasma below the standard levels. No significant difference (p >.05) in plasma concentrations of Ca, P, Mg and Zn for the low fertile (conception rate > 3) and fertile (conception rate < 3) cows was found. However, plasma Cu of the low fertile cows (averaged $77.2{\mu}g%$) was lower (p <.01) than that of the fertile ones (averaged $91.12{\mu}g%$). Additionally, it is observed that 47.1% of the cows with the low fertility problem obtained plasma Cu below the 65.0 pg% critical deficient value.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.1-13
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to examine the college students' and married adults' perceptions of the current low fertility and their motivations of parenthood. It also verifies the gender differences in the numbers of planned children between male and female college students. The sample population included 100 unmarried undergraduate students and 100 married adults. The measurements included in the questionnaire were based on recommendations from the literature review. The major findings of this study are as follows: Women reported higher levels of traditional-normal and altruistic-emotional motivations of parenthood than men did. College students reported higher levels of motivations of parenthood to strengthen biological family ties than married adults did, while adults reported higher levels of martial bond-strengthening, traditional-normal, and gene-preservative motivations of parenthood than students did. College students attributed the current low fertility to the tight labor market and high costs of childbirth and rearing while married adults attributed to gender-discriminating traditional family norms, increasing infertility, and poor conditions of pregnancy and childbirth. Female and adult respondents took the social problems caused by the current low fertility more seriously than their counterparts did.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.85-100
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to raise the importance of 'family culture and values' in the process of diagnosing and discussing the causes and measures of low fertility in Korean society. In addition, I sought to find the causes of over - fertilization and ways to cope with it in terms of educational approach to establishing family culture and values. Specifically, this study firstly reviews the causes of low fertility in Korea by examining the evaluation of low fertility policies, secondly, examines the actual conditions and changes in family culture and values related to low fertility, and third, In this paper, I examined the validity of educational intervention, the actual state of intervention, the contents of education in institutional education, the necessity and effect of education, the composition of educational content, and possible policies and arguments based on educational approach. The issue of low birth rate is a national social problem facing the Korean society in the modern age. Considering its causes and countermeasures at the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the factors of family culture and values as well as economic factors. To further emphasize the educational approach to gender equality and family-friendly family culture and values.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2009

The Korean Government has recently prepared the comprehensive five-year basic plan (2006-2010) to deal with low fertility and population ageing. The basic plan aims at recovering the fertility rate to the appropriate level and improving the social and economic systems in preparation for the aged society. The main objective of this study was to examine the effects of fertility policies on childbirth by birth order. The data came from 1,729 adults who gave birth to babies in 2007 and 991 adults as the control group. The serial logistic regression analyses revealed that establishing the health and nutrition system for maternity and children, and expanding of tax and social insurance benefit were effective policy measures to increase childbirths of first children, while the policy measures establishing the health and nutrition system for maternity and children, supporting for daycare and pre-school education, and work-life balance were effective to childbirths of second or third children in 2007. However, the policies of supporting for costs of test-tube baby and expanding childcare infra didn't have any significant influences on childbirths in 2007. The implications of study results were discussed.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.233-239
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• 2018

A rapid decrease of total fertility rate to 1.08 in 2005 prompted the Korean government to plan and implement a '5-year plan for ageing society and population policy' starting from 2006. The 1st and 2nd 5-year plans had not shown any discernible impact on the fertility and the 3rd 5-year plan was launched in 2016. However, the fertility rate is going down further. The author reviewed the contents and assessment reports of the fertility promotion plan to suggest ideas for complementing the shortcomings of it. Author defined the major determinants of marriage and child birth as philosophy, politics, sense of value, social norm, culture, healthcare, and education. The plan was examined in view of these determinants. Transformation of Korea from an agricultural society to an industrialized society in a short period of time had brought about changes in most of the determinants of marriage and child birth; in particular philosophy and sense of value. These aspects were not put into consideration in the plan. Author suggested to launch a social education program for the general public to establish a sound philosophy of life, reform the sense of value on family, child birth and education, and cultivate the skill to draw a consensus through discussions on the social issues. A special program to promote marriage of women at the optimum age for child birth was proposed. The government should implement well balanced policy for economic development and labor. Multidisciplinary approach was recommended for these tasks.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.200-229
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of youth job policy measures, set forth in Korea's 2016-2020 Third Basic Plan for Low Fertility and Aging Society (December 2015), on marriage and fertility among young people. Based on the results, we provide theoretical explanations for the findings and suggest policy alternatives to overcome the low fertility phenomenon in Korea. Previous studies have shown that employment is an important factor for marriage among youth, and a job policy could increase marriage and fertility rates. To test this assumption, we performed an exact matching between Statistics Korea's Employee-Enterprise Linkage DB and the Newlyweds DB from 2011 to 2019, in order to identify all young people aged 15-34. Then, linear spline regression analysis was used to examine the impact of the youth job policy on marriage and fertility. Comparing the period before the implementation of the employment policy (2011-2015) and after (2016-2019), the fertility rate increased as the number of young people looking for work increased. In addition, it was found that these impacts were greater after the implementation of the measures (2016-2019) than before (2011-2015). It is interesting to note that job growth among young people did not lead to an increase in marriage. However, the number of births significantly increased when young people who occupy jobs got married, which seems to be related to the delay in marriage among young people who are employed. Survey results about the intentions to marry and views on fertility are utilized for the explanation of the study results.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.229-263
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• 2019

The Korean fertility rate has been declining rapidly since 2000 with the fertility rate among provinces following a uniform tendency. In particular, the province-specific fertility rate is an essential tool for local governments to prepare local policies for low fertility aging policy, education and welfare policies. However, there is limitation on how to reflect different trends on the province-specific fertility rate because the KOSTAT's (2017) province-specific fertility rate projection estimates information use the national average birth rate date of vital statistics for the last 10 years (5 years). In this study, we propose an improvement plan that simultaneously considers important stable pattern maintenance and provincial fertility rate differentiation for an annual birth rate estimation. The method proposed in this study (proposal 1 and 2) can reflect birth rate changes from past to present and national and provincial differences by age that use time series data of the annual fertility rate. Proposal 3 also reflects the unique fertility rate trend from the past to the present by age according to province regardless of the relationship with the national trend. Therefore, it is preferable to use a relationship to the national rate when predicting the birth rate, as in proposals 1 and 2 because the national and the provincial fertility rate pattern are similar. These proposals show improved stability in terms of age-specific fertility rates.