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Korea's birth rate plunged to an estimated all-time low last year, opposition Grand National Party lawmakers Ahn Myoung-ock and Yim Tae-hee announced Sunday.
Based on new births reported through the electronic family registry system of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, they said the number of newborns nationwide was 481,085, down 12,300 from 2003.
The birth rate is estimated to have plunged to its lowest point ever at 1.15. The lowest total fertility rate recorded so far was the 1.17 recorded in 2002. However, official statistics could look different since the National Statistical Office publishes birth statistics as of the end of every June.
According to the registry figures, last year saw only half the 889,554 births Korea recorded in 1980.
(Kim Dong-seob, dskim@chosun.com )
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