S Korea sees record birth rate rise

{ FOR JAN-MAY } THE NATION ALSO HAS WORLD'S LONGEST LIFE EXPECTANCIES

- Agence France-Presse

South Korea registered record birth rate growth during the first five months of the year, a statistics agency official told AFP on Wednesday.

The country has one of the world’s longest life expectancies and lowest birth rates — a combination that presents a looming demographic challenge.

Seoul has poured billions of dollars into efforts to encourage women to have more children and maintain population stability. “The number of newborns for the January-May period stood at 106,048, a 6.9% increase, the highest growth rate since such data collection began in 1981,” said Kang hyun-young from Statistics Korea.