Economy

South Koreans continue to work more than their counterparts in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). According to OECD data, South Koreans worked 1,915 hours last year, ranking sixth among the 38 OECD member nations. The number of hours was down 10.3% from 2011. Korea's long working hours relates the lowest fertility rate South Korea also has the lowest fertility rate in the world and a fast-aging population. Concerns are ascending that the burden on the economy a

In many countries, the media frequently portrays stable and declining populations due to demographic aging as a problem or crisis. Smaller populations make for more sustainable societies. Some environmental scientists argue that societies should embrace population aging and decrease, citing numerous reports on the socioeconomic and environmental benefits of population aging, mortality-related decrease, and shrinking workforces due to retirement, and arguing that, contrary to some economic ana