Rights watchdog cites structural problems behind low birthrate SEOUL , April 5 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korea ' s human rights watchdog on Wednesday called for a change in the public ' s perception that blames low birthrate on individual problems rather than societal structure . In a report presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council , the National Human Rights Commission of Korea also said the nation should first address problems such as women ' s career interruption , shortage of public childcare centers and low rates of paternity leave . The National Human Rights Commission of Korea ( Yonhap file photo ) The commission said the report was submitted to the U . N . body last Thursday ahead of its Universal Periodic Review ( UPR ) , under which the human rights situations of all U . N . member states are reviewed every four and a half years . South Korea has one of the lowest birthrates in the world . Its total fertility rate stood at 1 . 24 in 2015 , far lower than the replacement level of 2 . 1 that would keep South Korea ' s population of 51 million stable . The rights watchdog also noted that the government should come up with additional policies to promote a balance between work and family and provide young people with quality jobs . Regarding the government ' s countermeasures for the aging society , the watchdog said that the issue of population aging should not be approached from the perspective of low birthrate and a reduction in working population . South Korea has been suffering a chronically low birthrate and aging population for decades , as they are feared to reduce the workforce and drive up welfare costs , undermining the growth potential of Asia ' s fourth - largest economy . The number of babies born in 2016 reached a record low of 406 , 300 last year , despite government - led promotions and incentives to encourage young people to have more children . ycm @ yna . co . kr ( END )