“Why South Korea’s Child-Free Zones are sparking controversy”

In the past ten years, signs and signs have appeared in South Korea stating that children are not welcome. In total, according to the think tank Jeju Research, there are about 500 child-free zones in the country, and that does not include places such as nightclubs where little ones are normally always kept out.

These are cafes, restaurants and libraries. According to the owners, people want to be able to sit there quietly without screaming and yelling from other people’s offspring. Apparently this was loudly complained about on online forums, and the owners then took action.

People under the age of 16 are also not allowed in the National Library of South Korea, unless they have received permission after applying. This would be to protect the material from theft or destruction.

Yong first became aware of this herself when she wanted to go for a walk shortly after the birth of her son and settled down at a nearby cafe, she tells The Washington Post. When she was sent away, she burst into tears. “I felt that society didn’t want to see people like me. And that hurt.’

Clumsy, slow people

We should ban child-free zones, Yong said at the press conference. “We were all children, and in those early years of our lives we were all slow and clumsy. Let’s create a society where clumsy, slow, immature people are accepted.’

South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world, and it is feared that this will further discourage couples from having children. After all, they are no longer welcome anywhere. “It reinforces the expectation that mothers should raise their children indoors,” says sociologist Hyeyoung Woo The Washington Post.

In Japan, which is struggling with an aging population, the exact opposite is happening, Yong said. There, young families are given priority at museums and parks. “We need to change the ‘no-kids Korea’ to a ‘kids-first Korea’,” Yong said at her press conference – which was interrupted a few times by her son playing with the microphones.