위험한 시균이
598화. 대한민국 출산혁명
나 위험하다.
우당 좌당 가만있지 않을 거.
위파 크면, 그들 밥그릇 건드리면.
어쩌라고?
저출산 어쩔 건데?
42년 방치했잖아.
지금도, 앞으로도 대책 없잖아.
마침내 저출산의 역습 작년부터 개시.
전국민 융단 폭격.
전분야 피해 갈수록 해가 갈수록 심각.
정치, 경제, 사회, 문화, 국방...
내수, 수출, 투자...
대기업, 중소기업, 자영업.
5년 후 국민 패닉.
10년 후 코리아 타이타닉호 침몰.
어차피 나 죽어.
너도 죽어. 국민 다 죽어.
비유 아니라 진짜 죽어.
나 최후 발악하는 거.
앉아서 죽을 순 없잖아.
내 일이라고?
머잖아 알게 돼.
정치인 너의 일, 너의 가족 일이라는 거.
난 먼저 보았을 뿐.
시균이 위험하다고?
어쩔건데?
노구에 병든 몸.
언제 이승 떠도 이상 않아.
말했잖아. 어차피 죽어.
저출산 때문에 수명대로 못 살아.
위험하다고?
이보다 위험 어디 있어?
생명, 안전, 재산 전부 다 걸렸어.
국민 모두.
예외 없이.
Part 6. The Beginning of the Revolution
A revolution begins with one revolutionary; a few follow, and then the masses erupt.
1. On this day, I Cry Blood and Wail
Because of the low birthrate, our nation is collapsing, and the South Korean people face
extinction—not from foreign invasion, but from our own doing.
The sky is falling. The ground is caving in. And yet—silence.
Even in the darkest chapters of history, babies were born, and the population grew.
To the birth generation—I’m truly, deeply sorry.
I realized it too late. And thank you—for making your voice crystal clear with a birthrate of 0.7.
I ache for the children. They will live through a hell on earth. It breaks my heart.
As a baby boomer, I know I'm guilty. I accept my responsibility.
I swear—I will solve the low birthrate crisis.
I will make sure you live in happiness.
I stake my life on this.
ㅡㅡㅡ
Nine years ago, I retired.
Since then, I’ve told young parents of little children — toddlers, preschoolers, even early elementary school kids — the same three sentences thousands of times:
What a precious child!
A child is the hope of us all!
A child is the future of us all!
I was deeply grateful to both the parents and the children for their presence, for their future, and for the hope they represent.
And then,
I’ve been friends with hundreds of elementary school students for three years.
In South Korea, addressing an elder without honorifics is not just considered rude—
it’s unthinkable. It violates a core cultural code.
But I asked children to call me by my name and speak casually, as friends.
In a society built on hierarchy, I broke the wall—to restore equality and innocence.
No other elderly person in Korea lives this way.
After retiring, I longed to reclaim the innocence of my childhood—
and somehow, I truly became a child again.
It’s the best thing I’ve done since retirement.
And then,
Eighteen months ago, I uncovered the shocking truth about South Korea's birthrate crisis.
In that moment, my entire life came to a halt.
I couldn't move forward.
I couldn't look away.
Before the children—who are our hope, our future, and my friends—awaited a living hell.
I was determined to save them.
I had no choice but to find the solution.
No matter what it took.
2. The Upist Manifesto
The Declaration of The Birth Revolution
I hereby declare the founding of WIPA (Upist) in Korea in 2005 — the first in the world.
WIPA exists for one reason only:
To raise the national birthrate to 2.1, the replacement level —
at once, and at any cost.
It is devoted to the survival and prosperity of the nation and people,
and to the happiness of every citizen.
WIPA is neither left nor right.
It looks down from above and beyond both.
It rises to face the most urgent challenge of our time —
one that neither the left nor the right will — or can — resolve.
Both capitalism and socialism are collapsing under the weight of a low birthrate.
Declining birthrate persists, and lost population never returns.
Demographic collapse is market collapse.
The threat of war now grows from empty cradles.
The fall of humanity is undeniable.
The age of left and right is over.`
Only the ghosts of communism still wander — shouting into silence.
Growth is distribution. Distribution is growth.
Their separation is a lie — mere political propaganda.
Both left and right, both growth and distribution — have only worsened the birthrate
and will continue to fail.
Today,
Birth Is Existence.
Birth Is a Revolution.
Birth Is Philosophy.
The Birth Revolution Is a Happiness Revolution.
The Birth Revolution Is a Peace and Freedom Revolution.
The Birth Revolution Is a Humanities Revolution.
The Birth Revolution Is Modified Capitalism.
It is no longer natural.
No amount of policy or improvement can restore the birthrate.
Only revolution can.
Europe has failed. Japan has failed. China is failing.
The entire world has proven:
Even innovations are not enough.
Today, birth is philosophy and happiness.
Low birthrate is the outcome of the sum of problems across all sectors — politics, economy, society, culture, and education...
At its root is the absence of philosophy.
The birth generation avoids having babies not because they don’t want to,
but because they don’t feel happy, and don’t believe they can be.
Happiness is philosophy.
Without birth, no peace and freedom.
WIPA begins The Birth Revolution.
To save South Korea from collapse and extinction.
To restore happiness to its people.
The Birth Revolution spreads globaly.
WIPA (Upist) is a temporary party.
It will disband itself when the revolution is won.
This new thought is called Upism.
Part 5. South Korea’s Low Birthrate Crisis – Total Ignorance
The 10 ignorances are South Korea’s biggest problem.
Keep everything, and lose everything.
1. We Lemmings
Finally, the horde of rats reached the seaside cliff.
The salty scent of the ocean stirred their senses.
They summoned every last ounce of strength into their legs — and sprinted.
It was a mystery:
Was it the greed to snatch the first fish?
Or the burning desire to cool their fevered bodies in the sea?
The rear couldn't see the front, the front could see ahead but were swept along regardless.
The horde, possessed by madness and chaos, had lost all ability to control itself.
Like cherry blossoms falling on a spring day, the rats hurled themselves off the cliff in swarms.
The sea swallowed them whole.
It was a collective suicide.
As if to pretend nothing had happened,
the sea, in conspiracy with the crimson sun,
veiled the horror under its deep blue sheen.
They should have stopped.
2. The People's Emergency Declaration
The Korea Titanic is sinking.
We must urgently board the new Titanic.
The state has no plan, no responsibility, no competence.
If the people don’t act on their own — everyone dies.
From 2024, the counter-attack of low birthrate began.
The economy was the first to collapse.
National panic sometime after 5 years from now.
South Korea’s Doomsday sometime after 10 years from now.
One million deaths annually after 20 years from now
The fall of a nation
The extinction of a people
It’s already scheduled.
So what if it comes five years late? Destiny doesn’t care.
ㅡ As of 2025, the crisis is real.
The 3 Highs: High interest rates, high exchange rates, high inflation.
The 2 Lows: Low growth, deep recession.
Total debt: $6 trillion. Government, corporations, individuals, self-employed.
That’s about 300% of GDP.
ㅡ Plus, one million people disappear every year.
That's 2% of Korea’s population of 51 million — every year.
No one can survive that.
And nobody cares.
1. 500,000 working-age people disappear annually.
From 2024, half a million people of working age vanish every year. Endless. Irreversible.
A parade of collapse has begun — Tax revenue down. Budgets slashed. Health insurance deficit. Domestic demand falls. Collapse will hit every sector.
2. 500,000 newborns disappear annually.
To maintain population, we need 700,000 births per year (birthrate 2.1). In 2024, birthrate fell to 0.7. Only 240,000 births. Every year, half a million babies vanish. Endless. Irreversible.
A shutdown parade has begun — Preschools, elementary/middle/high schools, universities, the military, companies, the nation, the people — All heading toward extinction.
3. Birthrate 0.7
By far the world’s No.1 in low birthrate — breaking its own world record.
With each generation, the population drops by two-thirds, leaving only one-third behind.
● Population trend
Current: 51 million
One generation later: 17 million
Next: 6 million
Next: 2 million...
Continuous. Irreversible.
There may be delays, but the direction is clear.
● Seoul’s birthrate 0.5
This too is a world No.1 — by a crushing margin.
The capital of South Korea
Current: 10 million
One generation later: 2.4 million (24%)
Next: 570,000 (5.7%)
Next: 130,000 (1.3%)...
Continuous. Irreversible.
There may be delays, but the direction is clear.
● World’s #1 characteristics
All signs point to one outcome: demographic extinction.
1. The lowest birthrate — Korea will be the first developed country to disappear demographically.
2. 75% college enrollment rate
3. 52% of the population lives in the capital region (vs. 30% in second-tier countries)
4. Only 4% of births are to unmarried mothers (vs. Europe 41%, France 62%)
5. #1 in national shame index among major countries:
Suicide rate: 27 per 100,000 (OECD average 10 → Korea 2.7x higher / Japan 2nd at 15 → Korea 1.8x higher)
Elderly poverty rate: 40% (OECD average 14%/ Germany 11% / France 4%) (age 66+, as of 2020)
Overwork employee rate: 17% (EU average 7%) (working over 48 hours/week, 2022)
4. The Counter-Attack of Low Birthrate
It has already begun nationwide in 2024.
It lasts forever.
● The Preparatory Phase of the Counter-Attack
1. 1983 – Korea’s first low birthrate
It first dropped below 2.1, the level needed to maintain population.
After 20 years, 2002, South Korea made it to the World Cup semifinals for the first time.
That same year, the birthrate fell below 1.3. In demographics, this is called a Code Red.
But the people had no idea how serious it was.
After 16 years, 2018 – Birthrate dropped to 0.9.
After 5 years, 2023 – 0.7. Dead last #1 in global low birthrate.
In trying to raise one child well, people have ended up having none.
2. 42 years of low birthrate
Since the early 2000s, the government stepped in.
They say they’ve spent $380B on birthrate policies.
Zero effect.
It turned out not to be true, just an excuse.
3. Warning
For over 40 years, the damage was limited.
Fewer students. Schools closed — no big deal.
A few colleges now shutting down, especially in rural areas, unable to fill seats.
Total population started shrinking in 2022, but barely — thanks to foreign labor.
Military reform downsized the army from 600K to 500K.
The majority of citizens felt no pain.
● The Launch of the Counter-Attack
Starting 2024 at last, the revenge of low birthrate began.
This time, it hits everyone.
A nationwide carpet bombing — not a one-time event.
It begins with economic collapse and continues until the nation falls, the people vanish.
The impact of low birthrate and population decline takes not just years, but decades to truly appear.
But once it starts, it never stops.
Now: tax revenue drops.
government spending drops.
Consumer demand drops.
All sectors, all citizens — direct hit. Continuous. Irreversible.
● The Progress of the Counter-Attack (Summary)
■ by sector
1. Collapse of the national health insurance system
2. Collapse of the government budget
3. Collapse of domestic demand
4. Collapse across all sectors
■ by timeline
1. National panic must begin sometime after 5 years from now.
2. South Korea’s Doomsday must break out sometime after 10 years from now.
3. One million deaths annually after 20 years from now
4. The fall of a nation
5. The extinction of a people
● The Progress of the Counter-Attack
■ by sector
1. Collapse of the national health insurance system
A study by Professor Kim Yoon-hee’s team at Inha University Medical School, titled “Fiscal Forecast of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and Key Assumptions”
Annual NHI expenditure stands at $100 billion.
Deficit projections:
2024: $1 billion (1% deficit)
2030: $14 billion (14% deficit)
2036: $40 billion (40% deficit)
2042: $81 billion (81% deficit)
If current spending continues, cumulative deficit will hit $563 billion by 2042.
$28 billion in reserve funds will be completely drained by 2029.
The analysis assumes that the current health insurance premium rate of 7.09% will exceed the legal cap of 8.0%, rising by 2.09 percentage points each year.
It also assumes that the government will continue to contribute 14% of total premium revenues annually as a subsidy.
Even with tens of millions of citizens paying more than 10% of their income in premiums,
and the government injecting tens of $ billion every year, the system still accumulates astronomical deficits — a clear sign that South Korea’s national health insurance is fundamentally unsustainable.
Source: Korea Economic Daily, July 8, 2024 https://v.daum.net/v/20240708175003198
Cause: Low birthrate = fewer payers. Aging population = exploding medical costs
2. Collapse of the government budget
Annual government budget: $650 billion in 2024
Starting 2024, tax revenue and budget drops by $10 billion every year.
That’s 1.4% of the total budget.
Ten years later: $100 billion less in annual revenue.
Budget shrinks to $550 billion, then $450 billion, $350 billion, $250 billion...
Cause: The annual loss of 500,000 working-age people.
3. Collapse of domestic demand
Domestic demand has declined for 12 consecutive quarters — the longest drop in history.
Businesses and small shops survived COVID-19 through loans.
They expected a rebound.
Instead, what came was worse than the 1997 IMF crisis.
Mass bankruptcies are underway.
3 Highs: high interest rates, high exchange rates, high inflation.
2 Lows: low growth, economic stagnation.
Plus: Domestic demand drops 1.4% annually.
That’s 14% in 10 years.
Small businesses and corporations go bankrupt → banks follow suit.
Cause: The annual loss of 500,000 working-age people and 500,000 newborns.
4. Collapse across all sectors
— Just examples: health insurance, the government budget, and domestic demand.
— Everything collapses: politics, economy, society, culture — national defense, diplomacy...
Cause: The annual loss of 500,000 working-age people and 500,000 newborns.
■ by timeline
So what if it comes five years late? Destiny doesn’t care.
It’s bound to happen — no matter what.
1. National panic must begin sometime after 5 years from now.
The people will finally recognize the Counter-Attack of Low Birthrate — and realize that it is continuous, irreversible, and comes with neither plan nor hope.
They will discover that hell awaits.
Mass panic. Mass emigration.
A total halt in childbirth...
Without hope, one cannot endure.
2. South Korea’s Doomsday must break out sometime after 10 years from now.
The Great Depression never comes with a warning.
One day, out of nowhere—stock market crashes, real estate collapses.
Then the entire national system breaks down.
South Korea’s working-age population is shrinking by 500,000 every year.
That number is predictable.
But the economy?
Once it hits the tipping point, it crumbles overnight.
Ten years from now, economic collapse begins.
Ten times worse than the 1997 IMF crisis.
Relentless. Irreversible.
Will the IMF lend us dollars again?
They're already warning of South Korea's demographic extinction.
What if they don’t lend? Imports of food, energy—everything—come to a full stop.
We become Venezuela.
Grocery stores, supermarkets, convenience stores—empty.
No heating in winter. Shivering. Elevators stop.
We’ll be walking 30 floors.
Farming, fishing, livestock—all halt. Mass starvation.
Hospitals shut down. No medicine.
Elderly who rely on drugs to live?
Swept away.
Suicides, robberies, murders—rampant.
Mass exodus from the Korean Peninsula.
What happened to that country?
Sudden collapse. A rich oil nation, overnight, 95% of its people fall into absolute poverty. The wealthy and middle class digging through trash for food. The difference? They still have the world’s largest oil reserves. If needed, they can dig it up and bounce back.
Why are you fearmongering?
Me? It’s simple. No dollars means no imports of food and energy. That’s just fact.
But we’ve got foreign investors.
Are you stupid? Why would anyone risk their life-earned money on a failed country? There are plenty of safer places to invest.
We have over $400 billion in foreign reserves. We can hold out and find a way.
Not really. Pay off external debts and we’re left with little net assets. It’ll dry up fast.
Well, we’ll just have more babies.
Oh sure. Once the electricity’s gone, it’ll be pitch black after sunset. No condoms. No birth control. Just like Africa, we’ll have a population boom. If we’re lucky and committed, maybe we can repopulate. Birthrate 6.3. That’s nine times higher than today’s 0.7.
See? It’s doable.
Ha… Just like post-Korean War days. The baby boomers. Living on $2–$3 a day, covering food, clothing, shelter, and education. No transport costs. Forget cars—even buses and taxis didn’t exist.
This is serious. But I live in Seoul. The damage will hit last. We’ll find a way somehow.
The whole Korea Titanic is sinking. What good is first class or the captain’s suite?
Then I’ll emigrate.
As a refugee? A boat person? Which country would welcome you?
So what are we supposed to do?
Do we really have to go through that chaos and panic? Do we really want to crash back to the 1960s overnight? If we act now, we can still enjoy life and happiness. If we stabilize population, becoming a strong nation comes as a bonus. Now there are only two paths: we all live, or we all die.
3. One million deaths annually after 20 years from now
Mass deaths among baby boomers will begin in earnest.
One million deaths per year for 16 years — 16 million will be gone.
Following the annual loss of 500,000 working-age people, the entire population will begin to collapse.
Only 240,000 babies were born last year.
South Korea will lose 800,000 people every year — a nation in free fall.
That amounts to 1.5% of the nation’s entire population of 51 million.
4. The fall of a nation
Politics, economy, society, culture, education, national defense, diplomacy...
All sectors collapse.
5. The extinction of a people
Every generation, the population drops by two-thirds. That is each generation loses two-thirds of its people. 51 million → 17 million → 6 million → 2 million... South Koreans become a minority. Eventually absorbed by North Korea, China, or Japan.
North Korea's birth rate is 1.9 — far better than South Korea’s. They will overtake in population. China 1.0 and Japan 1.2 have similar birthrates, but their populations are much larger — 1.4 billion and 120 million respectively. Even with decline, they will remain vastly bigger than South Korea. What can a nation of 2 million do? Even during the Three Kingdoms era 1,400 years ago, Korea had more people than that.
Will a birthrate of 2.1 someday restore the population? Never. That only maintains the current level. If South Korea drops to 17 million, a 2.1 birth rate will keep it at 17 million. To return to 51 million? We'd need a birthrate of 6.3 — six babies per woman. Impossible.
5. 10 Ignorances of Low Birthrate
We, the people, know nothing.
The biggest obstacle is our complete ignorance about the issue.
South Korea is the worst in the world — and the most ignorant.
If we don’t understand the problem, a solution is impossible.
1. We don’t realize the counter-attack of low birthrate has already begun nationwide in 2024.
2. We don’t notice the hidden reasons why the birth generation isn’t having babies.
3. We have no idea what happiness truly is.
4. We’re blinded by population illusions.
5. We don’t recognize that we have no experts, no solutions — and no public awareness.
6. We don’t understand politicians' ignorance including the president’s.
7. We don’t see that every measure is just an excuse.
8. We don’t see that the formula for success has already become the rule for failure.
9. We don’t understand the responsibility of the baby boomer generation.
10. We don't know all we see is just the surface.
● Ignorance 1: We don’t realize the counter-attack of low birthrate has already begun nationwide in 2024.
● Ignorance 1: We don’t realize that the counterattack of low birthrate already began nationwide in 2024.
No one in the country knows this.
It has already been covered in detail above.
By sector, the progress of the counter-attack of low birthrate is collapse of the national health insurance system, the government budget, domestic demand, and across all sectors.
By timeline, it is national panic sometime after 5 years from now, South Korea’s Doomsday sometime after 10 years from now, one million deaths annually after 20 years from now, the fall of a nation, and the extinction of a people.
This is an absolute crisis. This is not a simple crisis.
Worse yet, we don’t even know what is happening or why.
Just like people died during the Black Death without knowing what it was—
only this is 100, even 1,000 times more vicious.
● Ignorance 2: We don’t notice the hidden reasons why the birth generation isn’t having babies.
The birth generation is silently weeping, swallowing tears of blood.
They avoid having babies not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t feel happy, and don’t believe they can be.
The 8 Give-Ups.
They even give up having babies — even sex, a primal instinct.
Their parents, the baby boomers, criticize them:
“You don’t get married, you don’t have kids.”
They blame their own children, condemn others.
But this is the reality for most in the birth generation:
1. Skyrocketing housing prices — No nest to raise a baby.
2. Minimum wage jobs — Can’t afford proper food for a baby.
3. No money for private education — The child is doomed to be labeled a loser.
And then:
4. Even when they marry, they stop at one baby.
5. They delay marriage as long as possible.
Despite trying everything, all that’s left is a minimum-wage job.
6. They give up on marriage. On children. Even on the instinct to reproduce.
7. They give up on dating. On sex. Even on the instinct for connection.
They are not happy. They have no confidence they can be happy.
8. They give up on finding a job.
ㅡㅡㅡ
In the end, It's all about money.
Even if they find a job, a minimum-wage salary is barely enough for themselves — let alone a family.
SMEs vs. Corporations with 300+ Employees:
99% of companies vs. 1%
14% of employees vs. 86%
Wage gap 1.9x
Most small businesses start employees at minimum wage.
And the wage gap only widens with time.
The exact numbers may vary, but the overall trend is undeniable.
ㅡㅡㅡ
The baby boomer generation had it quite different:
1. They didn’t worry about housing, jobs, or education costs.
2. Marriage in their 20s was the norm.
3. They had two or three kids right away.
It was an era of rapid economic growth.
They bought an apartment with a loan, and the value rose far more than the interest.
One income was enough to support a family.
They didn’t need to work at a major company — there were plenty of small businesses, many even better.
Even if they failed, they had another shot.
Education costs? Manageable, with sufficient income.
ㅡㅡㅡ
The birth generation doesn't say directly:
“We're not happy. And we don't believe we can be.”
But I discovered they avoid having babies not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t feel happy, and don’t believe they can be.
Happiness requires three foundations:
peace, freedom, and leisure.
But leisure depends on two things:
money and time.
Most of the birth generation today have neither —
enough money nor enough time — to raise a child.
And therefore, they lose peace and freedom as well.
So it’s not that they won’t get married or have children —
it’s that they can’t.
ㅡㅡㅡ
The baby boomers — can’t you see?
Put yourself in their shoes.
Imagine your first job is at a small company, earning minimum wage — $2,000 a month.
After taxes and insurances, disposable income: $1,600.
Now pay for your living expenses, transportation, a few basics.
How do you buy a $500,000 apartment in or near Seoul?
In rural areas, decent jobs are hard to find.
How will you feed a child?
How do you afford $600 per month in private tutoring for one child?
Wouldn’t your child be 100% labeled a loser?
Even with both parents working — both on minimum wage.
Have a baby? You’ll lose your job, or face resentment.
Your career? Interrupted.
How are you supposed to have babies?
What about $40,000 for wedding expenses?
So you give up on marriage.
Delay it as much as possible.
I'm a baby boomer too.
If I were part of the birth generation today, I’d make the same choices.
Even if you’re not, think about this:
The ideal retirement income is $2,500 to 3,200 per month.
ㅡㅡㅡ
If we baby boomers continue to ignore the seriousness of the birth generation’s situation, we won’t be able to solve the low birthrate crisis.
We just sit back and say,
“You’re not getting married. You’re not having kids.”
The birth generation is left with only three choices:
1. Escape through emigration.
2. Fiercely blame the baby boomers.
3. Fall into despair and resignation.
● Ignorance 3: We have no idea what happiness truly is.
In South Korea, money is considered the top value of happiness.
It’s the only country like that.
A survey of 15 advanced countries:
In the U.S. and Europe, when asked what matters most for happiness, they all answer family.
Money comes second or third.
Even in the heartlands of capitalism, they say family.
But only South Korea puts money ahead of family in happiness.
That’s insane.
● Ignorance 4: We’re blinded by population illusions.
1. The damage from low birthrate appears decades later.
We've been in a low-birth era for 42 years.
As of 2024, the counter-attack of low birthrate began.
2. The working-age population collapses before the total population.
The total population declines slowly, due to aging and immigration.
But the working-age population plummets before the total starts to fall.
Starting in 2024, we're losing 500,000 working-age people every year.
When the baby boomers begin to pass away—around 20 years from now—
the total population will also start its free fall.
This decline is continuous, and irreversible.
● Ignorance 5: We don’t recognize that we have no experts, no solutions — and no public awareness.
1. No experts
Low birthrate is unprecedented in human history. It’s unfolding now. We don’t know how it ends. Everyone—demographers, economists, sociologists—is experiencing it for the first time. They are experts in parts of the problem, but no one sees the whole. It’s like the blind men touching different parts of the elephant.
There’s no previous case study. The only guesses: maybe a 1.0 birthrate during the Black Death or the war in Ukraine. But even after war or disaster, people used to have more babies — even more eagerly. Now, for the first time, people are choosing not to have babies. That has never happened in human history.
What do the experts agree on?
ㅡ They all know a country can collapse from a low birthrate.
ㅡ None of them knows how to stop it.
What if birth is a revolution?
But no one is an expert in revolution.
What if birthrate is a matter of philosophy?
But philosophers don’t have solutions either.
We’re all in the dark.
2. No solution
There are no success stories—anywhere in the world.
No country has ever escaped from low birthrate once it began.
3. No awareness of the people
People don’t even know the basics about low birthrate.
For example:
ㅡ What’s the birthrate needed to maintain population? → 2.1
ㅡ How long has Korea had low birthrate? → 42 years
ㅡ At a birthrate of 0.7, how much does the population decrease each generation? → The population drops by two-thirds. Only one-third remains. Even worse it’s continuous and irreversible.
● Ignorance 6: We don’t understand politicians' ignorance including the president’s.
We can’t trust politicians anymore. Not when it comes to birthrate.
There are good reasons why they have neglected the low birthrate issue for 42 years.
1. Even politicians don’t understand
Politicians rely on expert advice. But there are no experts with the solution to low birthrate.
Even a rare few who understand the gravity of the issue can’t speak up. Raising alarm without a solution only causes panic.
2. The goal of political parties is to gain power
Solving a 0.7 birthrate requires massive budget. Extreme conflict between the left and right. Whether it’s raising taxes or cutting budgets elsewhere, it means giving up the presidency or a seat in the National Assembly. And the public? They oppose it no matter what—either tax hikes or cuts to their own benefits. Though the public keeps giving them votes, why would any politician willingly trigger the political suicide bomb of low birthrate? Elections hinge on just a few percentage points. It’s political suicide. So they wait. Until the majority of people start wailing. But by then, it’s too late. It’s irreversible. Politicians pretend to tackle low birthrate—but only to win elections.
3. Politicians cannot lead a revolution.
Birth is a revolution. The establishment cannot lead a revolution—and politicians are the ultimate establishment. What president or lawmaker would ever declare a revolution? They don’t know the solution. They have no reason to act—because people keep voting for them.
The Birth Revolution requires constitutional amendment. Amending the Constitution needs two-thirds of the National Assembly. Neither the right nor the left can realistically win a two-thirds majority. The opposition party opposes it no matter what. Even if they could agree, they would never agree on all 11 articles of The Birth Revolution.
PoliticIians can pursue reform or innovation. That’s why they are elected. Revolution is none of their business.
4. Don’t just blame politics.
Politics only reflects the level of the people. The public is also responsible.
Politics passes the buck to the people, and the people pass it right back.
When have citizens ever demanded strong action on low birthrate?
5. A new party is inevitable.
New wine must be poured into new wineskins.
6. The last chance.
Keep waiting for politics, keep deferring to politics—and we’ll miss our very last chance.
● Ignorance 7: We don’t see that every measure is just an excuse.
All the so-called "solutions" are just excuses. They’re false hope—nothing more than hope torture.
1. Immigration is not an option for South Korea.
South Korea has a population of 51 million and a birthrate of 0.7. With every generation, the population drops to one-third of the previous one.
That means a loss of 34 million people in the first generation alone. No amount of immigration can make up for that—unless you bring in a million immigrants every year. But even that’s impossible. There aren’t that many refugees, and countries around the world are already competing to attract immigrants. Why would anyone choose South Korea over the U.S., Canada, Europe, or Australia?
Let’s say we try accepting Arab immigrants.
population trend
Ethnic Koreans / Immigrants
Birthrate 0.7 / 3.0
Now: 51M / 0
After 1 generation: 17M / 34M
After 2 generations: 6M / 54M
After 3 generations: 2M / 87M
There may be delays, but the direction is clear.
Let’s stop even mentioning immigration as a solution to low birthrate.
2. The 6 classic excuses — immigration, robots, labor force…
So-called experts—demographers, economists, policy scholars—some of them throw around words far too carelessly.
What do they all have in common?
1. They list endless problems. But then what? What’s the actual solution?
2. Some offer partial measures. But will those raise the birthrate to 2.1? No. They just give false hope.
3. If they don’t know the solution, they’re not experts. And that’s okay. After all, there are no true low-birthrate experts anywhere in the world.
<The 6 Classic Excuses>
From now on, making these kinds of claims carelessly will rightfully face public condemnation.
1. You say there's no solution to low birthrate?
Here it is: The Birth Revolution.
2. Immigration?
Europe is facing a variety of serious problems as a result. Can South Korea really absorb 34 million immigrants in just one generation? Is that South Korea?
3. Robots?
Look at China. Birthrate 1.0. The first generation will shrink by 700 million. Immigration isn’t an option. They’re gambling everything on mass-producing robots.
4. Increase labor force participation?
Boost productivity with AI? Can you raise productivity every single year, continuously, to match the annual freefall in working-age population and total population—for 10, 20, 40, 80 years? Forever?
5. Low birthrate is a natural phenomenon?
No, it isn’t. Expensive housing in Seoul, lack of decent jobs in the provinces, no time or no money for childrearing, massive income gaps, crushing education costs, overcentralization in the capital—all of these are man-made.
6. Low birthrate is better?
Are you even aware of the absurdity of what you're saying? That's worse than Yi Wan-yong who sold out the country. A failed country can be rebuilt, but a wiped-out people vanish from history. That’s national extinction.
Let’s stop using these six excuses to avoid real low birthrate solutions.
● Ignorance 8: We don’t see that the formula for success has already become the rule for failure.
The old formula for success has now become a guaranteed path to failure.
ㅡ Rule of success: All-in on education, obsession with being #1, endless competition — the only country to rise from developing to advanced.
ㅡ Rule of defeat: For the same reasons, the first advanced country on track for extinction.
● Ignorance 9: We don’t understand the responsibility of the baby boomer generation.
If the baby boomers insist on present convenience, the whole nation will collapse. But if they give up in part, everyone can live in happiness — including themselves.
1. The baby boomers are the root cause of low birthrate.
They built the environment that led to it.
Today’s politics, economy, society, culture, education, laws, institutions, national health insurance, national pension system — all were shaped by them.
The birth generation is simply following the rules they set. That’s their only "fault."
And yet, the baby boomers resent their own son and daughter for not having babies and blame others.
2. Longevity blocks birth.
The convenience of baby boomers threatens their children's survival.
Children avoid having babies—for the sake of survival.
Because baby boomers are living too long.
Longevity comes with enormous costs: healthcare, pensions, and more.
In the past, elders passed away in due time, leaving inheritances that helped their children survive.
For the birth generation, baby boomers must give up some of their convenience—for their children's survival.
Just a 15% sacrifice can save their children, grandchildren, and generations to come.
And it will help them survive too.
3. The baby boomers are the biggest victims
They don’t realize low birthrate is their issue.
They mistakenly think it’s just their descendants' one.
They don’t know they’re the ones who will suffer most.
Most baby boomers are now in their 60s. Average life expectancy is 82 — and climbing toward 100. They still have 20, 30, even 40 years to live.
The counter-attack of low birthrate began in 2024. Korea’s Doomsday comes in 10 years.
They have the most to lose. They hold the most wealth.
They’ll lose everything — all they’ve earned, all they own — all at once.
National health insurance will collapse, and life expectancy will shrink.
4. Only If the baby boomers change, can everyone survive.
The baby boomers make up the largest share of the population.
They hold the most votes.
They have spare money and spare time.
Only if they understand and take action can the low birthrate be solved.
Only then will they themselves survive too.
Otherwise, they become the enemy of the birth generation and their descendants forever.
History will brand them as traitors — the ones who doomed the economy, destroyed the nation, and erased their own people.
● Ignorance 10: We don't know all we see is just the surface.
No homes in Seoul, no decent jobs in the provinces, no time to raise babies, career interruptions, private education costs, overpopulation in the capital region, etc.
These are appearances, not the root cause.
6. 7 Traits of Low Birthrate
Everyone understands only Trait 3.
They have no idea about the other six—
especially Traits 6 and 7, which are beyond imagination.
1. Low birthrate means not having two babies.
The solution: have two.
2. Low birthrate is invisible.
Its causes and processes are hidden.
Its consequences appear decades later.
3. Low birthrate is happening.
It is now.
4. The counter-attack of low birthrate comes after half a century.
It is now.
5. The working-age population declines long before the total population does.
It is now.
6. Low birthrate is continuous.
It's not a one-time crisis. It's endless.
With a birthrate of 0.7, two-thirds of the population vanishes every generation.
7. Low birthrate is irreversible.
Once it starts, it can't be undone.
Once the population shrinks, recovery is nearly impossible.
To restore the previous population, each couple must have six babies with a birthrate of 0.7.
7. The Root Cause and the Only Solution
● The Root Cause
Low birthrate is the outcome of the sum of problems across all sectors — politics, economy, society, culture, and education...
At its root is the absence of philosophy.
The birth generation, those of childbearing age today, avoids having babies not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t feel happy, and don’t believe they can be.
● The Only Solution
The solution is clear.
The birth generation must convince themselves that they feel happy, and believe they can be.
8. 5 Principles for Solving the Crisis
● Birthrate Must Be Raised to 2.1
1. Immediately and drastically.
Even if we double the current birthrate from 0.7 to 1.4 right now, it's useless.
The counter-attack of low birthrate already began in 2024.
The Korea Titanic—if we don’t escape before it sinks, it’s over.
Even if we raise the birthrate to 2.1 today, it takes 18 years for newborns to join the productive population.
If there is hope, people can endure.
2. The golden hour has already passed.
We have only 5 to 10 years left. Just one chance.
● Five Principles
Even if just one of these five principles is missing, the solution will fail.
1. Immediacy
The solution must work immediately.
The birth generation must begin having two babies now.
2. Continuity
The birthrate of 2.1 must be sustained across generations.
Population is built generation by generation, like a pyramid.
3. Universality
Every citizen must benefit.
The population is the sum of all citizens.
4. Comprehensiveness
The solution must address all root causes.
Missing even one will cause the whole plan to fail.
5. Clarity
The solution must be simple and clear for everyone.
If it’s complicated, it will fail.
9. A Blank Canvas for a New Vision
The worst crisis is the best chance.
Ironically, South Korea is in a better position simply because it hasn't done anything yet.
● Not European-Style Socialism
Europe’s low birthrate strategy: immigration + socialist welfare
Result: failure.
Current birthrate: 1.6
● Not Japan’s Patchwork Approach
Japan’s low birthrate strategy: massive spending + scattered programs
Result: failure.
Current birthrate: 1.2
● South Korea
South Korea’s low birthrate policy?
In truth, it has done virtually nothing.
Result: neither failure nor success.
Current birthrate: 0.7
It’s a blank canvas—a rare opportunity to draw something entirely new.
10. 3 Scanners: Spotting Birthrate Policy Scams
Don’t be fooled anymore.
They say they’ve spent $380 billion on birthrate policies.
But after 42 years, things have only gotten worse.
South Korea now has the world’s lowest birthrate.
It’s a scam.
Now that you clearly understand the 10 ignorances behind the low birthrate,
just ask yourself these three questions:
1. Is the target birthrate 2.1?
If not, it’s a scam.
2. Does the policy apply to the entire population?
If not, it’s a scam.
3. Is it designed for both now and future generations?
If not, it’s a scam.
11. Survey on the Low Birthrate Crisis
I conducted this survey to save lives — not mine.
● Period
November 2023 – May 2025
● Target Group
All age groups, starting from school-age children.
Across four generations.
1. Growing generation
Elementary, middle, and high school students.
2. The birth generation
Giving up on marriage or babies.
3. Older generation
Those who have completed childbirth and are now raising their children to adulthood.
4. The baby boomers
Those whose children are of marriageable age or already married.
First wave: born 1958–1963. Second wave: born 1964–1974.
● Number of Respondents
Several hundred people.
1. One-on-one
In-person conversations with acquaintances and random individuals
2. Posts
Shared in six KakaoTalk group chats with friends and acquaintances.
3. Three individuals
One man in his 40s, one man and one woman in their 50s received extended, in-depth explanations until they deeply grasped the issue.
● Q&A Process
A 30-minute interview.
I started asking two simple questions.
1. "How many years has Korea’s low birthrate lasted?"
Most answered 5 or 10 years. Few said 20 at most.
The correct answer? Since 1983 — 42 years.
2. "What is the replacement-level birthrate?"
Almost no one knew the correct number: 2.1.
People knew South Korea's current birthrate is 0.7.
I explained subtracting 2.1 from 0.7 gives -1.4. That means two-thirds of the population disappears every generation, only one-third remains. 51 million becomes 17 million, then 6 million, then 2 million — continuously, irreversibly.
People were shocked.
When I explained the “counter-attack of low birthrate,” people listened — with doubt.
When I said I had found a solution, they paused — but that was usually the end of it.
To explain the 11 Principles of The Birth Revolution and make them truly understand takes a lot of time. Even when I do, I’m treated like a lunatic. "You're saying we get $400,000 for having two kids? Who the hell are you?"
Futhermore, The Birth Revolution? Revolution? How do I even begin to explain what that is?
● Generational Responses
1. Students
Once they understand what’s coming, they’re scared.
They strongly support The Birth Revolution.
2. The birth generation
If they haven’t had babies yet, they respond positively.
If they’re done having babies, they’re indifferent — too busy raising the ones they already have.
This is the proposition in a single sentence:
The birth generation avoids having babies not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t feel happy, and don’t believe they can be.
No one ever told me so directly — but I could read it in their hearts.
3. Older generation
No interest.
Consumed by survival and day-to-day life.
4. The baby boomers
Mistakenly believe this is not their problem.
Even among the rare few who understand, the response is:
“So what? That’s for politicians to deal with.”
Even when they understand, they deny reality. “No way. That can’t be true.”
● Six Reasons — Why the Birth Generation Stay Silent
1. Resignation — The hopelessness of speaking up
“Nothing will change even if I speak.”
They've already given up — no one listens, not the people, not the policies.
2. Fear — Of being judged or blamed
“They'll think I'm selfish or weak.”
Admitting they don’t want kids feels like confessing a flaw in their character.
3. Emotional complexity — Too hard to explain
“Saying ‘I just don’t want to’ doesn’t cover it.”
It’s not just one reason — it’s money, time, relationships, anxiety about the future. It’s too tangled to say out loud.
4. Shame — To admit their unhappiness
“I’m not happy.”
Saying this out loud feels like admitting their life is a failure.
5. Social silence — No one asks the real question
Society asks, “Why won’t you have kids?”
But the real question is, “Why can’t you?”
No one truly wants to know, so no one truly answers.
6. Psychological defense — Bad experiences
They have watched their own parents resent them for not having children,
while those same parents criticize others' children for the same thing.
Some parents have given up, but most haven’t changed.
● All Are Exhausted
As of April 23, 2025
The young can hardly gain even a little wealth.
The old are clinging to what they have, just to survive.
The rich are driven to accumulate even more.
The number of people giving up keeps growing.
South Korea is ranked the overwhelming No. 1 in the world for people giving up on life —
except for one tiny country, Lithuania.
Parents are killing their own young children and then taking their own lives.
This, too, is becoming more common.
Yesterday, I spoke with two elementary school kids and a few middle schoolers.
Every one of them said, "I don't want to become an adult."
"Why?" I asked in surprise.
They just said, "I just don’t want to."
I couldn’t ask further.
Why would I?
When they see how their parents live, it must terrify them.
When we were young, we couldn’t wait to grow up.
Now everything’s been turned upside down.
Why?
Endless competition.
Endless comparison.
Elementary school, middle school, high school, college, job, marriage...
Even for me, just thinking about it makes it hard to breathe.
Now toddlers are forced into early private education.
How can a little child even understand?
My friends are well-off.
Even after retirement, even as elderly people, they can't stop comparing. Comparison will watch over their corpses.
For what?
Isn’t it all for happiness?
Are we happy now?
ㅡㅡㅡ
People are not having babies anymore.
A world without children is becoming real.
We’re killing our babies before they’re even born.
The population of 51 million is tightly united, destroying the future 51 million.
We’re racing toward a world without people.
There is no happiness left here.
The Korea Titanic has already begun to sink.
Everything you see now is a mirage.
The southern half of this peninsula has already become hell.
Many don't even want to listen to the solution to low birthrate crisis.
Everybody is exhausted. Too exhausted.
This morning, a man who knows me approached me and greeted me.
He said he wants to open another fruit store, unmanned.
I shared some information he asked about, but then told him not to start a business.
Keeping it simple:
Every year, one million people vanish.
500,000 lost from the working population,
another 500,000 lost because of ultra-low birthrate.
That's 2% of the entire 51 million population — every single year.
In 10 years, 20% will disappear.
No one can survive that.
I told him: whatever it takes, find a salaried job.
That's all I could say.
I couldn't explain everything from my book The Birth Revolution.
At least I gave him the urgent truth.
He plans to emigrate to Canada in 5 years.
Before that, he wants to earn as much as he can.
He’s determined.
He’s 30 years old, newly married this year — no children.
He said he’s well aware of the low birthrate crisis — and that there’s no solution.
That's why he's leaving. He said his friends also know it.
Escape.
A smart young man.
I could not stop him.
Before long, most young people will try to escape.
Can we stop them?
By then, nationwide panic will hit.
So what do we do?
We have to make people happy — right now.
We have to give them real confidence they can be happy.
Everybody is exhausted.
Too exhausted.
The low birth rate has persisted for 42 years, and it's been one of the lowest and worst in the world for a long time.
From the cradle to the grave, endless competition, endless comparison.
It's no wonder that everyone is so exhausted.
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