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Fri, September 29, 2023 | 10:00
National
Elderly population outgrows social safety net
고령 인구, 사회 안전망 넘어서
Posted : 2023-01-10 10:37
Updated : 2023-01-10 10:39
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Experts call for drastic measures as Korea braces for ultra-aged society
전문가들, "한국은 과감한 조치로 초고령 사회 대비해야"


By Lee Hyo-jin

Korea's consistently low birthrate coupled with a higher life expectancy is rapidly transforming the country's demographic structure. The latest data from Statistics Korea projects the nation to become a super-aged society by 2025, in which over 20 percent of its 52 million population are aged 65 and older.
지속적으로 낮은 출산율과 높은 기대 수명은 한국의 인구 구조를 빠르게 변화시키고 있다. 통계청 최신 자료에 따르면 우리나라는 2025년이면 5200만 인구의 20% 이상이 65세 이상 노인인 초고령 사회에 진입할 것으로 보인다.


In line with the increase in the elderly population, the number of economically vulnerable senior citizens is rising at a rapid pace.
고령 인구의 증가에 따라 경제적으로 취약한 노인의 수가 빠른 속도로 증가하고 있다.


According to a 2022 OECD report, the relative poverty rate among people aged over 65 in Korea came to 43.2 percent, the highest among its member countries, and a position the nation has maintained for several years. The relative poverty rate refers to the proportion of the population whose income is below 50 percent of the nation's median income.
2022년 OECD 보고서에 따르면 한국의 65세 이상 인구의 상대적 빈곤율은 43.2%로 수년째 회원국 중 가장 높은 수준을 유지하고 있다. 상대 빈곤율은 소득이 국가 중위소득의 50% 미만인 인구의 비율을 말한다.
Experts, who pointed out Korea's ill-preparedness for the imminent transformation into an ultra-aged society, said the government should urgently revamp the nation's welfare system and take drastic steps to bolster the social safety net.
전문가들은 한국이 초고령 사회로의 진입이 임박했지만 이러한 변화에 대한 준비가 미비하다는 점을 지적하며, 정부가 시급히 국가 복지 시스템을 개편하고 사회 안전망 강화를 위해 과감한 조치를 취해야 한다고 말했다.


Hur Jun-soo, a professor of social welfare at Soongsil University, said that the overall quality of Korea's welfare measures for the elderly remains near the bottom among 38 OECD member countries.
허준수 숭실대 사회복지학과 교수는 한국의 전반적인 노인복지 대책의 질은 OECD 38개국 중 최하위권에 머물고 있다고 말했다.


"The share of the budget allocated to senior welfare out of the nation's total welfare budget stands at 25 percent. This is a significantly low figure compared to 45 perc in line with ent in Japan or 39 percent in France. Government spending on senior citizens' welfare should increase in line with the country's economic growth as well as the aging population," he told The Korea Times.
허 교수는 코리아타임스에 "국가 전체 복지예산 중 노인복지가 차지하는 비중은 25%로 일본의 45%, 프랑스의 39%에 비해 현저히 낮은 수준이다. 노인 복지에 대한 정부 지출은 고령화 인구뿐만 아니라 국가 경제 성장과 함께 증가해야 한다"고 말했다.


As for the main reason why so many elderly Koreans are struggling with poverty compared with other countries, he pointed to the late introduction of the national pension scheme.
그는 타국에 비해 우리나라 노인들이 빈곤에 허덕이는 가장 큰 원인으로 국민연금제도의 늦은 도입을 꼽았다.


"Korea's public pension system was first launched in 1988, whereas it was introduced a century earlier in countries like Germany. Also, the basic monthly pension paid to retirees is too small compared to other countries and insufficient to cover their basic needs."
"한국의 국민연금제도가 1988년에 처음 출범한 반면 독일 등은 이보다 100년 앞서 도입되었다. 또한 퇴직자에게 지급되는 월 기초연금은 타국에 비해 지나치게 적고 기본적인 생활을 충당하기에도 부족하다."


Stressing the need for pension reform, the professor also said that lengthening careers is essential to guarantee future retirees an adequate monthly pension and ensure the national pension's sustainability.
허 교수는 연금 개혁의 필요성을 강조하면서 미래 퇴직자들에게 적절한 월 연금을 보장하고 국민연금의 지속가능성을 보장하기 위해서는 정년 연장이 필수적이라고 말했다.


"The retirement age currently set at 60 should be extended to at least 65, and possibly to 70 in the long term. This will allow people to remain active in the labor market longer and thus enable them to make more contributions to their pension," he said. "Plus, staying socially active is good for both mental and physical health."
허 교수는 "현재 60세로 설정된 정년은 최소 65세로, 장기적으로는 70세까지 연장되어야 한다. 이렇게 하면 인구 전체가 노동 시장에서 더 오래 활동할 수 있고 따라서 연금에 더 많이 기여할 수 있다"며 "또한 사회적 활동 유지는 정신 건강과 신체 건강 모두에 좋다"고 덧붙였다.

KEY WORDS
■ call for (공식적으로) 요구하다
■ drastic 과감한
■ brace for ~에 대비하다
■ ultra- : 극도로, 초(超)
■ coupled with ~와 결부된
■ demographic 인구학적
■ vulnerable (~에) 취약한, 연약한
■ imminent 목전의, 임박한
■ revamp (보통 더 보기 좋도록) 개조하다
■ bolster 강화하다
■ allocate (공식적으로) 할당하다
■ in line with ~의 방침에 의거하여
■ retiree 은퇴자, 퇴직자

기사 원문 보기


Emailywjeon@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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