Global Family Forum highlights traditional family values amid Korea's population crisis

Korea's traditional extended-family culture could help address the country's low birthrate and deepening population crisis, according to experts and civil society leaders at the 2026 Global Family Forum in Seoul. The forum, hosted by the Federation for Korean Families, was held at the Textile Center in Seoul, Sept. 19. Held under the theme, "The Population and Family Crisis and the Value of Korean Family Culture: Transitioning toward a Family-Friendly Society and Ensuring Sustainability for Future Generations," the forum drew some 600 participants, including representatives from 180 member and partner organizations, academics, experts, civil society groups and policymakers. Participants said financial support alone would not be enough to tackle Korea's low birthrate. Alongside expanded housing and child care support, the country needs a social and cultural environment in which marriage, childbirth and family formation are viewed more positively, they added. Korea's total fertility rate rose for the second consecutive year to 0.80 in 2025, though it remains among the lowest in the OECD. F