Contribution A Nation That Protects One Child Protects the Future

When people discuss the population crisis, they first think of birth rate statistics.

However, after nearly 30 years of advocating for childbirth and birth encouragement, I do not view the population issue solely through numbers.

This is because there is always one person at the starting point of population.

There is one pregnant woman, one child, and one family.

When those individual families gather, they form a region and a nation.

Therefore, I believe the essence of population recovery is not simply increasing the number of births, but recreating the Republic of Korea as a nation that cherishes people.

To achieve this, I am proposing a five-pillar rearmament as a new national movement to open the second phase of 30 years.

The first is moral rearmament.

The morality discussed here does not mean imposing a particular lifestyle on citizens.

It means recovering a sense of social responsibility ethics—thinking of our responsibility to the next generation alongside our rights, and considering not only individual success but also the sustainability of our community.

We can begin with showing consideration for parents raising children, giving up seats for pregnant women, and not disadvantaging colleagues taking parental leave.

The second is life rearmament.

In population policy, the first entity to be protected is not statistics but people themselves.

We must provide comprehensive support for the health and safety of pregnant women, the health of newborns, mothers and children in vulnerable situations, infertile couples, single-parent families, and families requiring care.

No child should be left behind at the starting line of opportunity because of their birth circumstances.

This is the true spirit of Pregnant Women's Day.

The third is historical rearmament.

In just a few generations, the Republic of Korea has built today's nation from the ruins of war and poverty.

We exist today because of the sacrifice and challenge of previous generations.

However, the most important aspect of history is not celebrating the past but passing on a better nation to the next generation.

If our predecessors reclaimed the nation, our responsibility today is to ensure that nation endures.

Population recovery is a historical responsibility to the next generation.

The fourth is population rearmament.

All citizens must possess basic population literacy.

We must understand that the decline in the number of children is not merely a matter for one school, but is connected to industry, national defense, pensions, healthcare, consumer markets, and regional balance.

Moreover, every important government policy must be accompanied by the question: "What impact will this policy have on South Korea's demographic structure in 10 or 20 years?"

Population policy should not be the responsibility of a single ministry but should become the basic framework for national governance.

Finally, there is AI rearmament.

The Republic of Korea possesses world-leading digital infrastructure.

We must actively leverage this capability to solve population challenges as well.

By utilizing AI and big data, we can more rapidly identify which regions will face shortages of obstetricians and gynecologists, which regional schools are at risk, and which youth face difficulties in housing and employment.

Support for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare can also evolve from the current system where citizens must visit multiple institutions to apply, into customized administration that first informs people of needed support.

However, AI utilization must also be conducted under the principles of personal information protection, human dignity, and fairness.

These five pillars of rearmament are not separate from one another.

AI without morality is dangerous, and population policy without life becomes mere number-crunching.

A nation that forgets history struggles to design the future, and policy that ignores population lacks sustainability.

This is why five-pillar rearmament is necessary.

The Korea Childbirth Encouragement Association's PROJECT 100 for Population Recovery Major Transformation in the Republic of Korea will likewise center on these five pillars.

And the method of implementation is the 5UNITY cooperation system involving the government, National Assembly, local governments, businesses, and civil society.

If the five-pillar rearmament represents the spirit and direction, 5UNITY is the execution system, and PROJECT 100 is the concrete action plan.

Only when these three work together can a nationwide population recovery movement be completed.

Approaching Pregnant Women's Day in 2026, I wish to return to my original commitment.

When I began the childbirth and birth encouragement movement 30 years ago, the starting point was not grand national policy.

It was a heart that cherished one pregnant woman and one child.

After 30 years, I believe the answer is not substantially different.

When we value one person, one family comes alive.

When one family comes alive, one region comes alive.

When a region comes alive, South Korea's future comes alive.

And South Korea's successful experience in population recovery can become a new path to share with countries around the world that will face low birth rates and aging populations in the future.

Thus our direction is clear.

Hope for Youth!

Happiness for Families!

Benefit for the World!

HOPE KOREA!

HAPPY KOREA!

HONGIK KOREA!

If September 10, with the enactment of the Population Strategy Basic Law, created a new framework for the nation, then October 10, Pregnant Women's Day, must become the day when citizens breathe life into that framework.

The next five years: a golden window for population recovery.

Let us absolutely achieve a major transformation in South Korea's population recovery through five-pillar rearmament—morality, life, history, population, and AI—along with 5UNITY and PROJECT 100.

From one person to one family,

From one family to one region,

From one region to one world.

A new 30 years for the Republic of Korea now begins.

LET'S GO TOGETHER!