South Korean government workers are being given an unusual instruction - go home and multiply.At 1900 on Wednesday, officials at the Ministry of Health will turn off all the lights in the building. The country has one of the world's lowest birth rates, lower even than neighbouring Japan. South Korea's birth rate stood at 1.19 children per woman in 2008
Boosting the number of newborn children is a priority for the government, which is staring into the abyss of a rapidly ageing society, falling levels of manpower and spiralling health care costs.
The Ministry of Health, now sometimes jokingly referred to as the Ministry of Matchmaking, is in charge of spearheading this drive, and it clearly believes its staff should lead by example.
Generous gift vouchers are on offer for officials who have more than one child, and the department organises social gatherings in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats.
Although this seems like an odd story, it is a really useful example of how to manage populations and the concern an ageing population can cause.
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