South Korea, long celebrated for its rapid economic growth, cutting-edge technology, and cultural global influence, is now confronting a silent yet monumental crisis: a population crash of unprecedented scale. A newly released study by the Korean Peninsula Population Institute for Future paints a grim picture of the country’s demographic trajectory, projecting a staggering 85% population decline by the year 2125 if current trends continue.

This alarming forecast underscores South Korea’s deep-rooted struggle with ultra-low birth rates, an aging populace, and the socio-economic pressures that are dissuading younger generations from starting families.

The institute’s report, published on July 2, reveals that even under the most optimistic scenario, South Korea’s population will fall to 15.73 million by 2125 – less than one-third of its current population of approximately 51.68 million. The median projection is even more sobering, putting the 2125 population at 11.15 million. In the worst-case scenario, that number collapses to just 7.53 million, smaller than Seoul’s current metropolitan population of over 9.3 million.

These figures are not speculative guesswork. The study employs the cohort-component method, a globally recognized model that projects population changes based on three core variables: fertility, mortality, and migration. And while each of these factors plays a role, it is South Korea’s........

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