Seoul: The statistics agency announced on Tuesday its plans to hold an international symposium in Seoul, jointly organized with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to address the issues of low birthrates and population aging, along with the necessary responses to these challenges.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the two-day forum, which continues through Wednesday, will gather approximately 70 experts and officials from international organizations, academia, and the private sector. The goal is to exchange views and explore strategies to enhance the social participation of senior citizens and tackle other related issues. The symposium's program includes sessions that address various definitions of elderly support, the impact of technology in an aging society, and a range of policy approaches to population aging.

Statistics Minister Ahn Hyung-jun expressed that the symposium is anticipated to offer practical and effective policy responses to avert an 'aging tsunami.' It also aims to serve as a platform to reinforce international solidarity and cooperation in tackling pressing demographic challenges. South Korea has been dealing with a persistently low birthrate, as many young individuals opt to delay or forgo marriage and parenthood due to economic pressures and changing social values.

Government data revealed that the total fertility rate, which indicates the average number of expected births per woman in her lifetime, was 0.75 in 2024. This figure is significantly below the 2.1 needed to sustain a stable population without immigration. Nevertheless, during the first nine months of this year, 191,040 babies were born, which is an increase of 12,488 from the same period last year. This marks the largest on-year increase for the January-September period since 2007.