[INTERVIEW] 'Korea's demographic crisis rooted in changing family values': Global Peace Foundation head

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, says Korea’s demographic decline is rooted in changing family values rather than policy spending, in an interview in Seoul. He argues that weakening marriage, parenthood and intergenerational responsibility has helped drive low birthrates, divorce and generational divides. Moon says reviving traditional family culture and multigenerational support could help address the crisis.

Moon said the family unit is the primary cultural expression of Korea and that abandoning it threatens Korean civilization.

He linked the demographic crisis to high divorce rates, low birthrates and growing generational divides.

Moon argued that government incentives such as tax breaks could encourage an extended family model in which families care for their elderly relatives.

He said his Korean identity was shaped by family traditions including honorific language and respect for elders, which he wants his children and grandchildren to maintain.

Published Sep 28, 2026 11:36 am KST

Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation, speaks to reporters during an interview at a hotel in Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Global Peace Foundation

Korea will not reverse its demographic decline simply by spending more on policy measures, according to Hyun Jin Preston Moon, founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation. The deeper problem, he argues, is a transformation in how Koreans view marriage, parenthood and their obligations to one another.

"The family unit is the primary and the most important cultural expression of Korea," Moon said in a recent interview with The Korea Times in Seoul. "The very civilization itself is now under threat because Korea had abandoned the institution that was most important to this nation."

For Moon, framing the fertility crisis primarily as an economic problem misses what he sees as a more fundamental shift in values. He believes the answer lies in reviving elements of Korea's traditional family culture.

The traditional Korean extended family has been characterized by strong intergenerational ties, norms of filial responsibility, respect for older family members and a high degree of mutual support across generations. Moon argues that the weakening of these structures has contributed to problems such as high divorce rates, low birthrates and growing generational divides.

"Previous generations had good families and many children, and the economic circumstance was worse than it is today," he said. "It is a complete change in terms of values and in terms of orientation that led to these problems."

That argument puts Moon at odds with much of the policy debate in Korea. Successive governments have spent heavily on measures ranging from child care subsidies to housing support and parental leave in an effort to raise one of the world's lowest fertility rates and address the challenges of a rapidly aging population.

Moon believes multigenerational families can provide not only emotional support but also a practical response to some of the pressures created by Korea's demographic crisis.

"If government can incentivize an extended family model through policies such as tax breaks, where the family takes care of their elderly, then not only will they get better care, but they will be able to be part of that family clan," he said.

For Moon, the subject is also deeply personal.

He moved to the United States at the age 4 but said his family remained the foundation of his Korean identity. Respect for elders, hierarchical relationships within the family and the use of honorific language were traditions he carried into his own household.

"My pride and my identity was rooted in my Korean family," he said.

Moon recalled speaking to his parents in "jondaetmal," or honorific Korean, and said he has encouraged his children and grandchildren to maintain similar practices. He worries that those customs are gradually disappearing.

Moon pointed to younger generations speaking more casually to parents and grandparents as one example of what he views as a broader weakening of respect and responsibility within families. He also criticized what he described as overly protective parenting, arguing that traditional Korean households placed greater emphasis on discipline, manners and resilience.

Moon argues that economic modernization was too often accompanied by the assumption that Western forms of individualism also represented social progress.

"Korea falsely adopted a lot of the new ideas from the West, thinking that was part of the journey," Moon said. "We have a 5,000-year-old civilization. Why would we give that up and follow the experiments of a nation that's only this year turned 250 years old?"

That idea is closely connected to his broader "Korean Dream" philosophy, which emphasizes "Hongik Ingan," the traditional ideal of living for the benefit of humanity. Moon sees the family as the institution through which those values are transmitted from one generation to the next.

"This is where younger people really need to ask questions. Eventually, there will be a time when you are as old as I am," Moon said. "Ask yourself: What do you leave behind? What is your legacy? What is your contribution in the history of our civilization?"

全球和平基金会创始人兼主席文贤镇在首尔接受采访时表示，韩国人口下降的根源在于家庭价值观的转变，而非政策支出。他认为，婚姻、育儿和代际责任的削弱是导致低生育率、离婚率和代际隔阂的原因之一。文贤镇表示，复兴传统家庭文化和多代互助有助于解决这一危机。

文在寅表示，家庭是韩国主要的文化表达形式，抛弃家庭会威胁韩国文明。

他将人口危机归咎于高离婚率、低出生率和日益扩大的代际鸿沟。

文鲜明认为，政府的激励措施，例如税收减免，可以鼓励建立大家庭模式，让家庭成员照顾年迈的亲属。

他说，他的韩国身份认同是由家庭传统塑造的，包括敬语和对长辈的尊重，他希望他的孩子和孙子们能够保持这些传统。

发布于2026年9月28日上午11:36（韩国标准时间）

全球和平基金会创始人兼会长文贤镇（Hyun Jin Preston Moon）周六在首尔一家酒店接受记者采访。图片由全球和平基金会提供。

全球和平基金会创始人兼主席文铉镇认为，韩国仅靠增加政策支出无法扭转人口下降的趋势。他认为，更深层次的问题在于韩国人对婚姻、为人父母以及彼此之间义务的看法需要转变。

“家庭是韩国最主要、最重要的文化表达形式，”文在寅总统近日在首尔接受《韩国时报》采访时表示，“韩国放弃了对这个国家最重要的制度，因此整个文明正面临威胁。”

在文在寅看来，将生育危机主要归结为经济问题，忽略了他所看到的更为根本的价值观转变。他认为，解决之道在于复兴韩国传统家庭文化的某些元素。

传统的韩国大家庭以紧密的代际关系、孝道规范、对长辈的尊重以及跨代的高度互助为特征。文教授认为，这些结构的削弱导致了高离婚率、低生育率和日益扩大的代沟等问题。

他说：“前几代人家庭美满，子女众多，但经济状况却比现在糟糕。正是价值观和人生观的彻底转变导致了这些问题。”

这一论点使文在寅与韩国国内的大部分政策辩论相悖。历届政府都投入巨资用于各项措施，包括儿童保育补贴、住房支持和育儿假，以期提高韩国全球最低的生育率之一，并应对人口快速老龄化的挑战。

文在寅认为，多代同堂的家庭不仅可以提供情感支持，还可以对韩国人口危机带来的一些压力做出实际回应。

他说：“如果政府能够通过税收减免等政策鼓励大家庭模式，让家人照顾老人，那么老人不仅能得到更好的照顾，还能成为家庭的一份子。”

对 Moon 来说，这个话题也具有非常私人的意义。

他四岁时移居美国，但他表示，家庭始终是他韩国身份认同的基石。尊重长辈、家庭内部的等级关系以及使用敬语等传统，他都带到了自己的家庭中。

他说：“我的骄傲和身份认同都源于我的韩国家庭。”

文在寅回忆起小时候用敬语（韩语中称为“尊大名”）与父母交谈，并表示他一直鼓励子女和孙辈保持类似的习惯。他担心这些习俗正在逐渐消失。

文在寅指出，年轻一代与父母和祖父母的交谈方式更加随意，这是他认为家庭内部尊重和责任感普遍减弱的一个例证。他还批评了他所说的过度保护型育儿方式，认为传统的韩国家庭更注重纪律、礼仪和韧性。

Moon认为，经济现代化常常伴随着这样一种假设，即西方形式的个人主义也代表着社会进步。

“韩国错误地接受了许多来自西方的新思想，认为这是发展历程的一部分，”文在寅说。“我们拥有5000年的文明。我们为什么要放弃它，去追随一个今年才建国250年的国家的实验呢？”

这一理念与他更广泛的“韩国梦”哲学密切相关，后者强调“弘益人间”，即为全人类利益而生活的传统理想。文鲜明认为，家庭是这些价值观代代相传的机构。

“年轻人真的需要在这里提出问题。总有一天，你们也会像我一样老去，”穆恩说。“问问自己：你们会留下什么？你们的遗产是什么？你们对我们文明史的贡献是什么？”