S. Korea lawmaker grills official nominee for being childless

Seoul: A South Korean lawmaker provoked outrage when he berated a female economics professor nominated as the country’s antitrust chief for not “fulfilling her duty to the nation” by having a child.

Despite its economic advances, South Korean society remains highly patriarchal and is facing a demographic crisis with women increasingly reluctant to have babies for reasons ranging from the expense of child-rearing to career setbacks.