Regret getting the snip or your tubes tied? Reversals will soon be subsidised in South Korea’s capital

Seoul plans to offer financial support to residents seeking to reverse a vasectomy or tubal ligation in the latest step aimed at boosting birth rates as a dwindling population threatens the long-term vitality of the South Korean capital.

Seoul will offer each citizen up to 1 million won (US$734) to help ease the financial burden of the medical procedure for couples who want a child, according to a statement from the city on Tuesday.

A total of 100 million won has been set aside for the programme that marks the first of its kind in Seoul. It’s part of a broader 1.5 trillion won extra budget that authorities have submitted to the city parliament, it said.

In a separate statement, the national statistical office said on Tuesday that Seoul is projected to see its population fall to 7.9 million by 2052 from 9.4 million in 2022.

City authorities are already offering financial support for egg freezing and infertility treatments to help stem the decline in births.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said earlier this year that South Korean capital would “mobilise all available policies” to boost the population, including launching a matchmaking programme.

A variety of factors are blamed for the reluctance among South Koreans to have babies, including high costs of living and a lack of affordable housing.

South Korea used to encourage vasectomies in the 1970s to 1980s due to the fear that the population increase could get out of hand.