May 2025
28May

Has baby bust bottomed out? S. Korea sees 7% rebound in births in Q1

For the first time in years, South Korea is seeing signs of a turnaround in its record-low birth rate. According to new data released by Statistics Korea on Wednesday, the number of babies born in the first quarter of 2025 rose by 7.3 percent compared to the same period last year. That makes it the highest first-quarter increase recorded since the agency began tracking the figure in 1981. From January to March, 65,022 babies were born, up from 60,571 a year...

May 28, 2025
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27May

South Korean insurers bag $10b in profits for 2024

The increase was mainly driven by higher investment income across life and non-life. The preliminary net income of 22 life insurance and 32 non-life insurance companies in South Korea accumulated $10.32b (KRW14.14t) for 2024, up 4.6% year-on-year (YoY), data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed. The increase was mainly driven by higher investment income across both life and non-life segments. Life insurance companies reported a net income of $4.1163b (KRW5.6374t), up 7.1% YoY. Despite a $581.4m (KRW796.4b) decline in insurance income due...

May 27, 2025
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20May

In Rapidly Aging South Korea, the Economy Is Slow in Creating “Age-Friendly” Jobs

Demographic shifts worldwide have increased the number of older workers, and many economies are facing a critical question: Are their labor markets ready to support older workers? Researchers have found that, in the United States, the surge of older workers has gone hand–in-hand with an increase in the number of “age-friendly jobs” – roles with working conditions more suitable for aging employees, such as placing fewer physical demands or offering greater scheduling flexibility. Yet it remains unclear whether comparable trends...

May 20, 2025
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19May

South Korea. Targeting young voters, pension reform emerges as major policy issue

This year, Korea implemented its first structural pension reform in 18 years. Yet, frustration persists among younger generations, as they are expected to pay more but receive less compared to older generations. With a clear aim of appealing to these younger voters, presidential candidates are unveiling a range of additional reform proposals. The most radical proposal comes from the minor conservative Reform Party. Its candidate, Lee Jun-seok — the youngest among the presidential hopefuls — has unveiled a plan to establish...

May 19, 2025
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April 2025
08Apr

South Korea’s National Pension Service Eyes Blockchain for $890B Fund’s Transactions

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), which manages 1,224 trillion won ($836 billion) in assets, plans to look at how a blockchain could be used in its fund transaction systems. The organization is weighing a shift to blockchain technology to boost transparency and security in managing its deposits, withdrawals and investments, according to Seoul Economic Daily, which cited industry sources. The NPS plans to begin a preliminary disclosure process, inviting blockchain experts and companies to weigh in before formally launching the initiative, the news...

April 8, 2025
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02Apr

South Korea. Low birth rate’s far-reaching impact: Sustainability of teacher pensions under threat

The impact of South Korea’s demographic crisis is far-reaching, with one lesser-known consequence being the threat to the sustainability of the teachers' pension system. As the school-age population shrinks and schools close, teachers are losing their jobs and becoming legally eligible for pension payouts much earlier than expected — sometimes as early as their 30s. According to data released by the National Assembly Budget Office, 410 pension recipients became eligible prematurely due to school closures as of 2024. Among them, individuals...

April 2, 2025
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March 2025
20Mar

South Korea approves reforms to shore up $830 bln state pension fund

South Korea's parliament on Thursday passed a bill to reform the country's $830 billion pension fund and delay the depletion of the state fund that has been on track to run out by the mid-2050s due to a rapidly ageing population. The bill's passage marks the first time parliament has agreed to a major shake-up in the state pension fund in 18 years and could delay depletion by 15 years. Under the legislative amendment, contributions and payouts will rise, the former...

March 20, 2025
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13Mar

South Korea’s NPS pivots to sustainability, dials up risks in the portfolio

South Korea state pension fund National Pension Service (NPS) has delivered a new return record in 2024 driven by US tech stocks’ relentless rally, while its investments in global fixed income and alternatives also posted double-digit returns. This year, the world’s third-largest pension fund is gearing up to reduce coal investments to promote sustainability in the portfolio, and target riskier assets to ensure sustainability in funding. NPS announced a 15 per cent return on a money-weighted basis in 2024, which was...

March 13, 2025
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04Mar

South Korea’s birthrate rebounds, but is it sustainable?

After nearly a decade of birth rates in steady decline, South Korea reversed that trend to report a significant uptick in newborns in 2024. Announced by the government-run Statistics Korea agency on February 26, a total of 238,300 babies were born last year, up 3.6% from a record low of just 230,000 in 2023. And while the increase is certainly grounds for celebration in a nation that is recognized as one of the most rapidly contracting and aging in the world, analysts caution that...

March 4, 2025
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February 2025
27Feb

South Korea’s fertility rate increases for first time in nine years amid marriage surge

South Korea’s birthrate rose for the first time in nearly a decade, preliminary data showed Wednesday, raising hopes that the country has started to turn a corner on its demographic crisis. The average number of babies per woman increased from 0.72 in 2023 to 0.75 last year, still the lowest in the world and far below the replacement rate of 2.1. SIGNALS Birthrate supported by surge in marriages after government measures A spike in marriages post-pandemic may be one factor driving the increase...

February 27, 2025
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