How South Korea put its ‘extinction’ birthrate crisis into reverse

Like many young South Koreans, Park Ha-na believed that her life was far too interesting to spoil it all by settling down to have children. In her late twenties she was a freelance event planner who organised festivals for local artists, a confident single woman with a flourishing career, close friends and a steady boyfriend. “In my generation, marriage is just one of the options,” she said. “Plenty of single people think, ‘Getting married is too much trouble. I’m satisfied with my life as it is.’ Being single is simpler and more fun. “If you interrupted your career to raise children, it’s unclear whether it will be possible to find a job at a similar level afterwards.” Her parents wanted grandchildren and Park, now 31, loved her boyfriend, Lee Geun-tek, who runs a local restaurant. But the decisive factor in changing her mind was not her loved ones but the town where she lives — Gwangyang, a port in the south of the country. Gwangyang is not a famous or glamorous place — a town of ste

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• Matthew Pak