Kim Jin-o (left), vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, and Kim Jeong-seok, chairman of the Korea Church Council, pose for a photo after signing an MOU at the council's representative chairman's office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy]
Kim Jin-o (left), vice chairman of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, and Kim Jeong-seok, chairman of the Korea Church Council, pose for a photo after signing an MOU at the council's representative chairman's office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday. [Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy]

The Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy announced Monday that it has signed separate MOUs with the Korea Church Council and the headquarters of the Methodist Church of Korea, launching formal cooperation to address the low birth rate and build a care-friendly society.

The agreements aim to deepen ties with religious communities in response to the worsening low birth rate and aging population, and to strengthen a broad social coalition for creating a family- and care-friendly environment.

Under the MOUs, the committee and the two organizations agreed to work together on fostering a social environment supportive of marriage, childbirth and child-rearing; running public awareness campaigns on the value of life and the meaning of family; expanding parenting education and counseling programs; and converting idle church facilities into community care spaces.

The Korea Church Council and the Methodist Church headquarters plan to develop spaces in unused church facilities to run care programs for infants, children and the elderly, as well as support programs for parents and families.

The Methodist Church headquarters will use its ongoing R-SPACE Project — an initiative to share idle religious facility space — to expand a community-based care model, while the committee will explore ways to link the effort to relevant policy support.

"This agreement is significant because it shows the potential for religious facilities to serve as hubs for community care and intergenerational integration," said Kim Jin-o, vice chairman of the committee. "We hope it will help spread a positive perception of marriage, childbirth and child-rearing, and strengthen the community care safety net."

The committee said it plans to build on the MOUs by expanding cooperation with other religious groups to address the demographic crisis and broaden public awareness.


thlee@heraldcorp.com