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Every month, members of the public put their questions on issues impacting the world

Every month, members of the public put forward their questions about issues impacting their country and the world.

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World Questions: South Korea

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Republic of Korea

14/10/2023 GMT

South Korea

BBC World Service - World Questions, South Korea

A female ‘birth strike’, the threat of North Korea, hot topics debated by Korean experts

A female ‘birth strike’, the threat from North Korea, hot topics debated by Korean experts.

The Republic of Korea is one of the twentieth century’s economic miracles. Poor at the time it split from its neighbour to the north, it now has the fastest internet on the planet and is a world-leading exporter of electronics, cars and culture. 
Much of what is best in the world can be found in Korea but it faces many of its hardest challenges too. Sky-high property prices, the world’s fastest-ageing population, a highly pressurised and competitive society, and as they face the difficult prospect of working and raising a family, 65 percent of Korean women are choosing not to have children. Along with all this, is the worry about the country that shares the Korean Peninsula, Kim Jong Un’s nuclear-armed North Korea. 
Jonny Dymond presents a panel of Korean politicians and experts as they debate questions from the public across the country.
The panel:
Kyung-wha Kang: Former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea and Distinguished Professor at Yonsei University
Chung-Min Lee: Former Ambassador for National Security Affairs and Ambassador for International Security Affairs. University Professor at Kaist, and Senior Fellow at The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  
Hee-kyoung Cho: Professor of Law at Hongik University and a columnist for The Korea Times
Hawon Jung: Author of Flowers of Fire about the Korean ‘MeToo’ women’s movement and former Seoul correspondent for Agence France-Presse
 
Producer: Charlie Taylor 

(Photo: Women take part in a march for gender equality on International Women's Day 2022 in Seoul. Credit: Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

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