This study identifies the five demographic stages of transition in Korea. Of interest is the question of why and how Korea has passed through the fertility transition. Based on the threshold hypothesis of the onset of fertility decline, this study att...
This study identifies the five demographic stages of transition in Korea. Of interest is the question of why and how Korea has passed through the fertility transition. Based on the threshold hypothesis of the onset of fertility decline, this study attempts to analyze the observed fertility trends since 1910. As the key forces behind the fertility trends, the effects of socioeconomic changes, expecially urban-industrial expansion, and the impact of the family planning program are stressed. The interactions of fertility with mortality and migration are also analyzed in this study. It is found that the Koreans reacted in ways that were consistent with Davis' theory of demographic change and response. They responded to the population pressure by migrating, by delaying marriage, by having abortions, and then, only when these options were exhausted, did marital fertility sharply decline.