Birth of a 74-year-old's late-born son... "Severe concerns over low birthrate" takes direct action [Ask the Buddha]

*This content was translated by AI.

'Ask the Buddha' features a 74-year-old male petitioner raising concerns about the low birthrate.

In the the 27th broadcast of KBS Joy's 'Ask the Buddha' episode 362, a 74-year-old petitioner who ran a health food company for 31 years and is now active as the 'Kim Young-sik Three-Child Birth Support Foundation' Lee (President) appears to share his worries about the low birthrate issue.

The petitioner says, "I came here worried about South Korea's future," highlighting the severity of the low birthrate problem. Although he provides 2 million won per person to mothers who have given birth to their third child, he expresses regret over the reality that he cannot help all applicants due to limited funds.

In particular, the petitioner states, "There are over 200 elementary schools that could not hold enrollment ceremonies because they have no first-grade students," and emphasizes, "The population is expected to decrease by 2.3 million in the next 15 years," delivering a shock. In response, the Buddha also nods in full agreement.

Seo Jang-hoon then adds a realistic opinion, saying, "While support is increasing, couples without children need tangible benefits that they can truly feel."

The petitioner's good deeds date back about 20 years. After reading an article related to the low birthrate on an airplane, he felt a sense of urgency and took direct action by supporting an employee who gave birth to a third child with 12.2 million won from the company he was running at the time. He also reportedly provided 2 million won to cafe members who gave birth to their third child using personal activity income. In total, he has supported over 900 million won to families with three children whose faces he does not know, using his personal assets. He then established a foundation with 2 billion won and has been operating it for 10 years.

However, the support method is inevitably limited. About 300 people apply each time during the two annual support application periods, but only around 50 are selected, leaving many mothers unable to receive help.

He also shares touching stories, including thank-you messages received from supported families and the story of raising a "son born from the heart" that arose from a nurse's story he met during lectures.

When Lee Su-geun, who heard the story, asked, "You are still doing many good things and leading the fight against the low birthrate issue. What are your future goals?" the petitioner replied, "I want to help not only families with three children but also families with one child, and I want to help all mothers without any dropouts."

He then concludes, "As I have lived, I realized that there is an age for earning money and an age for spending it. I hope many people and companies will help families with three children, and in turn, help South Korea."

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*This content was translated by AI.