Shifting Marriage Views

[Anchor Lead]

A growing number of Korean teenagers believe that marriage is an option, not an obligation. Such changes in beliefs will likely further exacerbate the issue of low birthrates.

[Soundbite] (Advertisement by Min. of Welfare & Health) : "Will you marry me? (Will love provide for us? You don't make enough money.)"

[Soundbite] "Is it okay to start married life in a small apartment? (How are you going to start? You don't even have a decent place to live.)"

[Pkg]

The reasons people postpone marriage remain the same, but half of the nation's population still believes that marriage is an obligation. Here's what the young generation, which will be old enough to get married 15 years from now, thinks about marriage.

[Soundbite] Han Ji-in(Middle School Teacher) : "Raise your hand if you think that marriage is an obligation. No one?"

[Soundbite] Han Ji-in(Middle School Teacher) : "Raise your hand if you think that it's your choice whether to get married or not."

Of 23 students in this class, 17 believe that marriage is an option. When asked what option they would choose, some say they don't want to get married.

[Soundbite] Park Ji-young(Middle School Student) : "I may change my mind if I meet someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. But for now, I don't want to get married."

A growing number of Korean teenagers think of marriage as an option. Last year, their number surpassed half the teenage population. They also outnumbered their peers who believe that marriage is an obligation.

[Soundbite] Lee Sam-shik(Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs) : "Teenagers' views on marriage are more than likely to contribute to late marriages and unwillingness to get married altogether in the future."

Experts say that the issue of low birthrates can only be solved by eliminating anxiety over the future.