This photo, taken on March 28, 2019, shows a newborn baby unit at a Seoul hospital. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 26 (Korea Bizwire) — In the midst of a surge in momentum for environmental movements looking to overcome climate change, an increasing percentage of young Koreans are deciding not to have children because they do not want their offspring to suffer from the environmental collapse.
Kim Woo-seop, a 28-year-old office worker, is concerned about whether his children’s generation would be able to enjoy the same life expectancy if environmental pollution continues to progress at the current pace.
“In a situation where it’s uncertain if the global environment would remain stable until the day I die, I may regret having children,” he said.
Choi Yeo-ru, a 30-year-old job seeker, said that the environmental problems that she read about in textbooks have become something that she feel everyday through fine dust and abnormal weather.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, such recognition became more prominent.
“After wearing a mask for more than one and a half years, I have a hunch that there could be another ecological crisis in the future,” said a 27-year-old office worker surnamed Choi.
At an online community where young people actively communicate, some present the radical notion that not having children is the strongest form of environmental protection.
“In some aspects, Korean society was too complacent in responding to the climate crisis, thinking of environmental pollution as a problem facing future generations,” said Hong Jong-ho, a professor of economics and former dean of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies at Seoul National University.
“The young generation’s decision to give up childbirth can be seen as a kind of revenge to the older generation who neglected their responsibility to protect the environment.”
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
