'Korea's demographic crisis rooted in changing family values': Global Peace Foundation head

Korea will not reverse its demographic decline simply by spending more on policy measures, according to Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation. The deeper problem, he argues, is a transformation in how Koreans view marriage, parenthood and their obligations to one another. "The family unit is the primary and the most important cultural expression of Korea," Moon said in a recent interview with The Korea Times in Seoul. "The very civilization itself is now under threat because Korea had abandoned the institution that was most important to this nation." For Moon, framing the fertility crisis primarily as an economic problem misses what he sees as a more fundamental shift in values. He believes the answer lies in reviving elements of Korea's traditional family culture. The traditional Korean extended family has been characterized by strong intergenerational ties, norms of filial responsibility, respect for older family members and a high degree of mutual support across generations. Moon argues that the weakening of these structures has contributed to pro