The number of births in South Korea rose 3.5 percent in June from a year earlier amid government efforts to tackle the country's low birthrate, a government report showed Monday.

There were 38,100 babies born in South Korea in June, an increase of 1,300, or 3.5 percent, on a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea. June marked the second consecutive month of childbirth growth after May experienced a rise of 1.5 percent year-on-year.

During the first half, the cumulative number of newborns reached 247,200, up nearly 1 percent from a year before, the report showed. The increase came as South Korea is striving to boost the country's chronic low birthrate, which could hamper economic growth and raise future social costs.