South Korea is reaping the dividend of the demographic transition right now. They are where Japan was in the 1980s. They played their cards very well and were able to build up both hard and soft power during the growth years.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?location...
US net migration is declining drastically also.
Japanese people have no way to easily invest locally. They no longer buy stocks.
Virtually, the only reason to buy stock now is for discounts (e.g., buy transportation stocks for discounts on tickets; buy grocery store stocks for discounts on food). If America is headed this way, this is what to expect.
That's true for every country, it's land that appreciates.
I really don’t think we should hold SK up for anything other than what aggressive capitalism does to a society. Kills it off.
Why do so many, such as yourself - apparently - believe that population growth is superior to population shrinkage? Are you pushing an immigration agenda or is there some other reason? And when should a population stop growing? Are overpopulation, the crowding of cities, and environmental destruction that result from population growth less worse problems than problems stemming from population shrinkage? And what are the problems resulting from population shrinkage, according to you?
>Massive child suicide rate
All of East Asia is ignorant of mental health issues, in general. It's not a SK-specific problem.
>Terrible dictator families
The people of SK know this is a problem. Of all modern nations, the SK youth has the strongest negative perception of its country's politicians. Perhaps give it some time and the youth of the nation will do away with this problem.
Even with its problems, SK is one of the best countries in the world. The people are a genetic mix of Ghengis Khan's warriors and the above-triple-digit Yayoi people. They are aggressive, intelligent, and surprisingly welcoming to outsiders.
1. https://population.un.org/wpp/Graphs/Probabilistic/POP/20-69...
It’s a really really deeply struggling society and no where near as ideal as projected.