S. Korea's June births record fastest-ever rise

South Korea saw the fastest increase in the number of newborns on record in June.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, more than 19-thousand babies were born in June, up 9-point-4 percent year on year.

This was the steepest year-on-year increase for any June and the 12th consecutive month of growth.

The agency attributed the uptrend to a continued rise in marriages since the first quarter of last year, an increase in the population of women in their 30s wanting children, and a more positive perception of childbirth.

Meanwhile, the country's total fertility rate, the average number of children per woman, for June increased zero-point-0-6 from a year earlier to zero-point-7-6.