Statistics Korea releases data on births. The number of live births dropped by 6.3 per cent or 2,800 this January from the same month a year ago. Marriages are also down. This has become a national emergency because it threatens the country's welfare system and its economic development.

Seoul (AsiaNews) - South Korea has experienced a drop in births for the 13^th month in a row. Increasingly, the country's "empty cradles" threaten its social development and economic stability.

This January, the number of live births dropped by 6.3 per cent or 2,800 from the same month a year ago, an especially troubling figure since South Korea's birth rate (1,05 per cent) is one of the lowest in the world, this according to Statistics Korea.

In a recent study, South Korea's statistical bureau reported 436 600 live births last year, a 9.9 per cent drop over 2012. The same paper showed that about 26,900 couples got married in January, down by 1,900 or 6.6 per cent from a year earlier.

This trend is taking place despite efforts by government and religious leaders to push couples to have more children.

Should it persists for any considerable period of time, the country's welfare system, including health care and pensions, would be at risk.

Aware of this, the Catholic Church has always been involved in programmes to support families and procreation, this in a country where stem cell research is important, and genetics and cloning are major issues touching the population.

In July 2012, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs acknowledged the problem and called on the government to act by adopting pro-family policies.

According to the institute, "too many people shy away from ​​marriage and having children. The government must put in place a new system that provides health care and insurance to those who decide to start a family. We also need a change in mind-set, which is perhaps the most disturbing factor."

In fact, economic growth and professional success have become the focus in the life of most South Koreans.

Despite a slight rise over 2003, the number of women going on maternity leave in 2013 was only around 58,000. This is because, the report notes, people "think that having children is a bad thing, or at least a problem. Instead, it is a good thing."

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