SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government plans to step up its efforts to fight the issue of its shrinking birthrate through launching an anti-abortion campaign and seeking more foreign immigrants, a presidential council said Wednesday.

    "The government decided to launch an 'Increase Koreans' project that will actively invite more talented persons from overseas by widening doors to foreign immigrants and by revising our immigration regulations to allow dual citizenship," the Presidential Council for Future and Vision said in a press release after its meeting on Wednesday.

    As part of the council's efforts, it decided to increase social and financial support for families with newborns or those with a multiple number of children, the press release said.

    Particularly, families with three or more children will be allowed special interest rates on their mortgages, according to the press release.

    The government also decided to provide 1.5 million won (1,300 U.S. dollar) financial support for each couple undergoing artificial insemination procedures, up to three times, the council said.

    The elementary school entrance age will also be lowered by one year in order to extend employment years while also allowing parents to start working early, it added.

    The council's meeting, also attended by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, was the first gathering to devise ways to fight against the nation's low birthrate, the council said.

    The decision came as a United Nations population report showed last week that South Korea posted the second-lowest birthrate in the world, hitting 1.22 per couple.

    The nation's population is expected to hit 44.1 million people in 2050, likely to rank 41st in the world, if the fertility rate stays at the current level, the Planned Population Federation of Korea (PPFK) said.