DATA ON NEWLYWEDS

[Anchor Lead]

Recent data shows newlyweds with a dual income buy a home sooner than couples with a single income, but have children later.

[Pkg]

The median price of apartments in Seoul surpassed 500 million won in 2015. It's nearly half the level recorded last year. But even then it wasn't easy for newlyweds to buy a home. Statistics Korea has found that just over 50 percent of couples who got married in 2015 purchased homes within five years. About half of them bought a home in less than a year after tying the knot. The rest did so within 2 to 5 years. Couples with a dual income were in a better situation. About 62 percent of working couples that continued to work for five years after getting married were able to buy a home. Only 54 percent of single-income couples could afford a house. However, dual-income couples opted to have children later than their single-income counterparts. Nearly 65 percent of couples on a single income for five years after getting married had children by the second year of marriage. But only 50 percent of dual-income couples became parents during the same period. This shows that buying a house and having children at the same time is challenging for newlyweds, with many choosing between the two. Experts say the financial burden of buying a home should be reduced to encourage more couples to have children.

[Soundbite] Song In-ho(Korea Development Institute) : "Tax benefits on long-term housing loans should be provided even to couples whose annual income exceeds 80 million won."

Taking care of children shoudn't just be the responsibility of the parents, but also that of society.