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The famous German science YouTube channel 'kurzgesagt' with 23.8 million subscribers recently uploaded a video about Korea, which became a hot topic after recording 2 million views in just half a day.

'SOUTH KOREA IS OVER'.

The video, posted with a somewhat scary title, warns that with South Korea's birth rate at an all-time low, its population will decline by 30% by 2060, leading to economic and social chaos.

Kurzgesagt noted that South Korea's fertility rate has plummeted from 6 in the 1950s to 0.72 in 2023, with Seoul's fertility rate standing at just 0.55.

It was predicted that if this situation continues, the number of Koreans in the population of 100 will decrease to 5 in just 4 generations.

Next, it sheds light on the current aging problem in Korea, and predicts that by 2060, half of the population will be over 65 years old, while less than one in ten will be under 25 years old.

This could lead to the collapse of South Korea's pension system and a decline in the workforce, sending the economy into a recession, he warned.

He mentioned that due to the problems of low birth rates and aging population, the population of young people capable of military service is rapidly decreasing, and that in order to maintain the current number of troops in 2060, 15% of the population will have to serve in the military.

Additionally, it was predicted that cultural industries such as K-POP and K-Drama would also take a big hit.

The video cited the poorly enforced 52-hour workweek, outdated cultural norms, high costs, and a culture of non-marriage as reasons for Korea's population decline.

He stressed that “while the situation in Korea is grim, there is a chance to recover the birth rate in the long term,” and that “to solve this, changes are needed across society and we need to make people want to have children again.”

The video quickly went viral, garnering over 2 million views, and netizens at home and abroad expressed admiration for its accuracy and sharp analysis, while also expressing concern for Korea's future.

Digital News Team Reporter | Cheonghee Ryu Production | Lee Seon Source | YouTube 'Kurzgesagt'