The main opposition Democratic Party(DP) announced a comprehensive set of measures on tackling the country's low birth rate ahead of April's general elections.

In announcing the pledge package on Thursday, DP leader Lee Jae-myung said the total fertility rate is forecast to plunge to zero-point-five in two years, stressing that preventing the extinction of the state is the most pressing task at hand.

On housing stability, the DP pledged to provide public rental housing for families with two or three children that can be available for allotment sale at a relatively lower price after a period of time. State support eligibility for newlyweds will expand from the current seven years to ten years.

To help young people become financially prepared to start a family, the opposition vowed to provide a ten-year loan worth 100 million won, or around 74-thousand U.S. dollars, to newlyweds, regardless of their income or assets. Principal and interest will be deducted by the number of children, with the entire principal exempted upon the birth of a third child.

A monthly childcare support of 200-thousand won will be paid out per child through a card system between the ages of eight and 17. A self-reliance fund will be introduced for the government to deposit 100-thousand won a month into a fund account for children of up to 18 years of age.

Parents will be guaranteed paid maternity or paternity leave, with those employed by small- to medium-sized enterprises eligible for an additional 500-thousand won a month.