For reference, currently it is about 52 million. It was about 20 million in 1950.<p>I think we need to stop refering to decreasing population as 'gloomy' and negative considering that we have experienced a population explosion over the last century that is unsustainable and a big cause of our current global issues.<p>At 36 million, South Korea's population will still be up 80% over roughly a century.