Chairman Chey: "Low Birth Rate Requires a 'Mega Sandbox' Approach... Business Community Must Join"

First Meeting with Kim Jino, Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Ageing Society and Population Policy
"We Must Create an Environment Where Young People Can Choose Marriage and Childbirth"

Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized that the business community will make comprehensive efforts to help overcome the challenges of low birth rates and population crisis.

Chairman Chey Tae-won of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (right) and Vice Chairman Kim Jin-o of the Committee on Population Decline and Aging Society are taking a commemorative photo before their meeting. Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on May 27 that Chairman Chey held his first meeting with Kim Jino, Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Ageing Society and Population Policy, at the KCCI headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul. During the meeting, they exchanged views on the roles of the government and corporations in responding to low birth rates and other demographic issues.

This meeting was part of the "dialogue with the business community" initiative being promoted by Vice Chairman Kim, who took office in April, to seek solutions for low birth rates. On this day, Chairman Chey and Lee Hyunghee, Vice Chairman of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Vice Chairman of SK Inc., attended from the KCCI, while Vice Chairman Kim Jino represented the Committee for the Ageing Society and Population Policy.

Chairman Chey stated, "The issue of low birth rates is not simply about the fertility rate, but a structural problem intertwined with factors such as slowing national growth, concentration in the capital area, and fierce competition. It is important to create an environment where young people can feel hopeful about choosing marriage and childbirth through a comprehensive approach like a 'mega sandbox' that addresses both regional revitalization and economic growth."

Vice Chairman Kim commented, "The success or failure in responding to low birth rates depends on creating an environment where young people can plan for their future and on changes in the workplace. We will focus on institution improvements and expanding support based on the realities of the field so that work-life balance systems in companies are not seen as a managerial burden, but as the most reliable investment for securing top talent and ensuring sustainable growth."

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