ANKARA

South Korea's childbirth rate increased in the second quarter of 2024 for the first time in eight years, a notable development amid the country's ongoing low birth rate.

According to data compiled by Statistics Korea, a total of 56,838 babies were born between April and June, marking a 1.2% increase from the same period last year, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

This rise in the birth rate is the first since the fourth quarter of 2015, when the number increased by 0.6%.

In June this year, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a "demographic national emergency" to address the low birth rate and aging population in the country.

He stated that his government would make every effort to tackle South Korea's ultralow birth rate.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid