Fewer people are following traditional Korean family concepts, as young people are increasingly opting not to get married and are living alone, resulting in a low birthrate amid an aging society.
The findings are based on a report from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs and Seoul National University's Institute for Social Development and Policy Research published last month.
Researchers analyzed the change in people's perceptions of family by comparing surveys conducted in 2006 and 2016, with the aim of reflecting the changes for future policies for families.
People are increasingly prioritizing their own happiness, being less willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their family. Data showed fewer people (69.7 percent) support the idea of putting the well-being of the family over their own compared to a decade ago (79.9 percent).
People are also losing faith in the institution of marriage.
A larger percentage of men and women now believe marriage will not necessarily make them happier. The percentage of men who believed being married would make them happier than single men dropped from 53.3 percent to 51.2 percent; while the proportion of women who thought this way fell notably, from 57.1 percent to 46.4 percent.
The idea of living together without tying the knot has also become more acceptable. The number of people who are against the idea has fallen from 65.1 percent to 54.5 percent.
More people are also choosing not to have children. The percentages of men and women who said they "do not need to have children even after marriage" doubled from 8.1 percent to 17.2 percent and from 12.4 percent to 24.4 percent, respectively.
Additionally, fewer people believed a son was needed in the family to carry on the family line, with the figure dropping from 56.7 percent to 40.8 percent.
In the traditionally patriarchal society of Korea, fathers had absolute authority within the family ― but those in support of this idea fell from 84.3 percent to 78.1 percent.
Fewer people also believe that children must be of honor to their parents ― dropping from 74.7 percent to 63.7 percent.
"It appears that traditional notions of family are dying out amid the falling marriage rate and the growth of single-person households," the report said. It noted that, "government policies on the family should be revised in accordance with changing perceptions."
In 2015, the country's birthrate stood at 1.24, while senior citizens aged 65 and above accounted for 13 percent of the population.