1분기 출생아 8만명대로 첫 추락…"인구감소 눈앞"<br /><br /> Less than 90-thousand babies were born in South Korea in the first quarter of this year-- a record low number of births.<br /> According to Statistics Korea's report on Wednesday, the number of births fell 9.2 percent on-year to 89-thousand 6-hundred in the January to March period. <br />This is the lowest number of births since monthly records were first compiled in 1981. <br />The agency warned that Korea's birth rate could fall below its death rate, leading to a natural population decrease from 2022, which is six years sooner than expected. <br />The report added that the low number of marriages is contributing to this trend. <br />Less than 67-thousand couples got married in the first quarter of 2018, down 3-point-5 percent on-year. <br />
