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PaperclipPerfector  7mo ago (text post)   2714 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 11, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Kurzgesagt had last week a video about population collapse because of low fertility rate:

It has the charming title: "SOUTH KOREA IS OVER". All caps, which is not normal for kurzgesagt titles, so you know DOOM is coming.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ufmu1WD2TSk

It is a short video with 14 minutes but it explains at breakneck speed the topic succinctly and in depth. The depressing conclusion is that South Korea can't really do anything, the low fertility is an unstoppable freight train and it will hit (end) the country. Even if a wonder happens and the fertility will rise to replacement level next week, the country would still have massive problems in 30 years. And because this wonder is not happening … the country is over

I’m Korean, born and raised in this country, and after watching this video, I just sat in silence for a while. Not because it shocked me, but because it said out loud what so many of us already feel deep inside: that it’s too late. There’s no fixing this anymore.

It is barely comforting that the West (and other countries too) are heading in a similar direction. Maybe accelerationism is the solution here: The faster South Korea is imploding the sooner other countries will wake up and do something.

I just had a conversation with someone last week about this video. I wondered at the time why they were focusing on South Korea and not Japan. It does seem strange the video says it's unprecedented and only make the most passing mention that Japan is arguably ahead on the demographic curve.

From the population pyramids, seems like if you align babyboomlet generations, 2025 Korea is roughly at the same place as 2007 Japan. Perhaps the remarkable thing is Japan managed to stabilize the base of the pyramid for a few cohorts. Seems like now Korea is facing a demographic cliff while Japan is only facing a demographic decline. With 1.2% vs 1.6% of population in the most recent cohorts. Does anyone have some color on why Japans population decline slowed and Koreas did not? Is anyone more familiar with the cultures willing to confirm or deny my impression that the South Koreans seem to be more willing to embrace automation. Maybe that can help fend of declines in raw GDP for a few more years?

Is anyone more familiar with the cultures willing to confirm or deny my impression that the South Koreans seem to be more willing to embrace automation. Maybe that can help fend of declines in raw GDP for a few more years?

Ah yes, clearly the Korean culture will flourish with the 10 surviving Koreans atop an automated empire as opposed to millions of Koreans experiencing all the richness of the human condition in relative poverty. After all, the first question St Peter asks you is "What was your GDP?"

I guess one advantage that ROK has over Japan is the small chance of reabsorbing the DPRK. In a sort of German reunification absorption of the GDR into the FRG. This is all conditional on them managing to avoid total economic and social collapse for a few decades though.

Even if there are only 10 South Koreans left, maybe they can send the 20 million North Koreans to reeducation camps consisting of archival K-drama and K-pop to reincarnate the culture.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure if NK and SK ever unify, it won't be on SK's political or cultural terms.

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