Could egg freezing be a solution to Korea's low birth rate?🐣

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 👀 Today’s Email about:

• Could egg freezing be a solution to Korea's low birth rate?

• Analysts predict that Samsung and SK will soon reveal their Corporate Value-up plans.

• The 3rd Seoul Culture Club showcase will highlight 19 diverse artists.

NEWS 📰

Could egg freezing be a solution to Korea's low birth rate?

On August 23, despite the scorching heat, dozens of people lined up outside a pop-up center in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. The center, run by a local infertility clinic, was promoting egg freezing—a procedure increasingly considered by women in their 20s and early 30s, not just those in their late 30s or 40s facing infertility.

Kim Ye-ji, a 21-year-old university student, visited to explore freezing her eggs while she is still young. "I want to have kids one day, but I think the ideal time for that is when I’ll be focused on my career," she said, seeing egg freezing as a way to balance future family plans with career ambitions.

The pop-up center, which operated from August 8 to 25, attracted around 14,000 visitors. Lee Jae-eun, a specialist at Maria Fertility Hospital, believes egg freezing could help address Korea’s low birthrate, which fell to a record low of 0.7 in 2023. As the average age of first-time mothers in Korea rises, egg freezing is seen as a viable option for women delaying marriage and parenthood.

The number of frozen eggs in Korea more than doubled from 44,122 in 2020 to 105,523 in 2023. The procedure costs around 3 million won, with annual storage fees of 200,000 to 300,000 won. The pop-up center provided information, and consultations, and aimed to make egg freezing more approachable, helping women like Ryu Ah-hyeon, a 23-year-old student, seriously consider it as a future option.

Analysts predict that Samsung and SK will soon reveal their Corporate Value-up plans.

Samsung and SK are the next major business groups expected to announce strategies to enhance their stock values, following recent moves by Hyundai Motor, LG, and POSCO to support the government's efforts to boost the domestic stock market. Samsung C&T and SK Square are anticipated to be the first affiliates to reveal their plans, possibly before the financial authorities release a new value-up index later this month.

Samsung C&T, which oversees Samsung's construction, trading, fashion, and resort businesses, is also the parent company of Samsung Biologics, which has been performing well. SK Square, the parent firm of SK Hynix, has seen a significant increase in operating profits due to the semiconductor boom. Analysts believe these factors make them prime candidates for introducing value-enhancement strategies.

Earlier this year, Samsung C&T announced plans to retire all its treasury stocks by 2026. However, analysts suggest that the company could further increase shareholder returns, especially in light of the government's value-up program.

SK Square's CEO, Han Myung-jin, has also indicated that the company will begin advancing its value-up strategies and securitizing existing portfolios in the second half of this year, aiming to strengthen its position as a global chip-centric investment firm.

These moves follow similar announcements by other major conglomerates. Hyundai Motor, for instance, recently unveiled plans to increase quarterly dividends and pursue share buybacks. LG Group and POSCO have also committed to increasing their corporate value through various initiatives.

These efforts are part of a broader response to the government's push to address the "Korea discount," or the undervaluation of Korean assets compared to global counterparts.

ENTERTAINMENT 🌄

The 3rd Seoul Culture Club showcase will highlight 19 diverse artists.

The Seoul Culture Club is returning for its third edition this weekend at Eulji Space in downtown Seoul, offering a vibrant performing arts festival from Friday to Sunday. The event will feature a mix of music, dance, theater, art, poetry, and magic, divided into four themed shows called "toasts." Each toast includes seven unique acts, with a total of 19 performances across the four shows.

This year, the festival has expanded, featuring more performers than in previous editions. Conan, a co-founder of Seoul Culture Club, noted the increased interest from artists, leading to a more diverse lineup. Returning performer and co-producer Kate McDowell expressed excitement about the growing community of artists and the opportunity to connect with audiences in new and creative ways.

The lineup includes hip-hop artists Jessica Ko and Lotus Root, and folk musicians Seth Mountain and Lee Jung-min, who will perform Filipino love songs in Tagalog. The British-American duo Erin & Gaia will sing traditional Korean "minyo" songs, while sayn + Jii will blend Korean conventional music with hip-hop. Other musical acts include Lilia, Avocado Allergy, K-KO, Kim Tae Hyun, Young_An, and Mexican musician Arantza Vazquez.

Dance performances will feature Kyle James Abraham, who will explore themes of connection and isolation, Marcia with a combination of movement and poetry, and Kim Ye-rin with a movement and monologue piece about the beauty of taking things slowly.

Non-musical acts include magician and mindreader Kim Ji-wan, photo artist Bereket Alemayehu, and monologue performances by Kelly and Haewon Park.

Free shows will be held between the Toasts in The Attic, the fifth-floor art gallery. These include a Turkish live-painting performance by Serkan on Saturday and a sound-and-performance art piece by jina0king before the fourth Toast.

Eulji Space will also host Earthling's Art Market on Saturday and Sunday, offering a platform for independent artists to showcase and sell their creations. After-parties will be held each evening at the rooftop bar On the Move, featuring DJ Konrad on Saturday and Lee Earth on Sunday.

Tickets to each Toast are priced at 20,000 won, with a 50% discount for attending additional Toasts.

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