Putin cites Korea’s birthrate: ‘Lower than ours’ despite no active war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has pointed to South Korea’s ultra-low fertility rate to argue that Russia’s declining birth rate cannot be blamed primarily on its war in Ukraine, according to Russian media outlets. Speaking at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Thursday, Putin cited South Korea and Japan as examples of countries with lower fertility rates than Russia. "The special military operation in Ukraine, of course, has some effect, but it isn’t the reaso