TY - JOUR AU - Eon Ha Park PY - 2021/01/15 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Nordic childcare policies and their implications for South Korea: A documentary analysis JF - Social Work and Social Welfare JA - SWSW VL - 3 IS - 1 SE - Research Article DO - 10.25082/SWSW.2021.01.002 UR - https://www.syncsci.com/journal/SWSW/article/view/485 AB - Korea has experienced several decades of low birth rates, contributing to an aging population. The government has unsuccessfully attempted several policies to develop and maintain childbirth and childcare that would mitigate the reduction of the productive workforce. Korean policy makers consider the Nordic countries the benchmark for the development and implementation of social welfare programs, but they have been unable to achieve similar levels of success in reversing low fertility. Using documentary research, this study explores the nature and impact of childcare policies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Korea to gain insights that could help optimize childcare policies in Korea. Based on this analysis, this study recommends that Korea adopt childcare policies that focus on defamiliarization, decommodification, gender integration, and a child-centered approach. ER -