How South Korea’s New High-Speed Train Hopes to Boost Birth Rates

South Korea is known for having the lowest birth rate in the world, with young people often citing long commutes, cramped living spaces, and high costs in the capital city of Seoul as the main reasons for not wanting to start a family. Even in Seoul, the birth rate is lower than the national average, and government efforts to increase the number of newborns through subsidies have largely been unsuccessful.

However, South Korean officials are now pinning their hopes on the Great Train eXpress (GTX) project, a $134 billion subway high-speed train system that is expected to connect Seoul with several suburban areas by 2035. On March 29th, President Yoon Suk Yeol attended the inauguration of a section of the first line, which is set to reduce travel time from Seoul’s Suseo to the satellite city of Dongtan to just 19 minutes, compared to the current 80 minutes by bus.

President Yoon stated that the shorter commute “will give people more time for their families in the morning and evening.”

The new line is scheduled to start operating on Saturday, March 30th. Once the entire GTX system is completed, it will become one of the fastest subway systems in the world, with trains traveling at speeds of up to 180 km/h.

Owning a house in South Korea is notoriously expensive, with average prices reaching their peak in June 2021 after a 45% increase over 5 years.

According to Land Minister Park Sang-woo, the GTX will provide opportunities for young people to consider buying homes outside the capital without worrying about long commutes. “For example, if it takes two hours to get home, who has time for a baby? The goal is to help people have more time to relax after work,” he told Reuters.

However, there are also concerns that the GTX could contribute to further rural decline by attracting more people to the already overcrowded capital.

According to Reuters.