Births up 15.6% in June, extend gains for 24th month

The number of babies born in South Korea rose 15.6 percent in June from a year earlier, marking the 24th consecutive month of on-year growth, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 23,111 babies were born in June, up 3,115 from 19,996 a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. The growth rate was the highest since the government began compiling relevant data in 1981. The increase in absolute terms was also the largest since 1992, when the figure rose by 3,666. The co