S. Korean ministry sends workers home to make babies

[Coventina]

Source: USA Today

South Korea's Ministry of Health is turning out all lights and power in its building today and sending workers home in hopes some of them will take advantage of the day off to help reverse the country's low birthrate.

The ministry, which spearheads a national effort to increase the population, plans to hold a power-free, lights-out "Family Day" event once a month, The Korea Times reports.

"We will turn off all the lights and nowhere, even in the press room for reporters, will there be an exception,"' a ministry spokesman tells the The Korea Times.

The full blackout was ordered after workers have refused for years to heed the ministry's urging to leave work early.

Read more: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/01/korean-ministry-orders-blackout-so-its-workers-will-go-home-and-make-babies/1

[polysciguy420]

1. wow.

Just wow.

[superconnected]

2. Maybe he should just allow refuges from other countries in.

Like the world needs more people. I know that country does but there are other ways.

[WriteDown]

3. Wow, not a bad method...

I think there is usually a spike in conceptions during blackouts.

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. It almost looks like some sort of competition

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from the posted article:

"It won't be too long before our children are burdened with supporting the elderly, " Health Minister Jeon Jae Hee tells The Times. "Korea may lose out in the global economic competition due to a lack of manpower. It is actually the most urgent and important issue the country is facing."

The newspaper says the issue is particularly embarrassing for Jeon because her ministry's average birthrate of 1.16 per couple is below the average of civil servants — 1.82.


Get at her people!

We gotsta set an example!

:silly: