Income Inequality In Korea

"In the early 1990s, South Korea was showcased as a country that had combined extraordinary economic growth with a narrowing of income distribution, achieving remarkably low rates of unemployment and poverty. In the years following the financial crisis of 1997–1998, however, these rates ballooned to pre-crisis levels, giving rise to the perception that the gap between the rich and the poor in Korea had once again widened. Income Inequality in Korea explores the relationship between economic growth and social developments in Korea over the last three decades. Analyzing the forces behind the equalizing trends in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the deterioration evident in the post-crisis years, Chong-Bum An and Barry Bosworth investigate the macroeconomic conditions, gains in educational attainment, demographic changes and conditions in labor markets, and social welfare policies that have contributed to the evolution of income inequality over time. The authors also raise fundamental questions about whether the pre-crisis pattern of combining strong economic growth with improving equality can be restored, as well as how government policies might be designed to promote that objective. The book concludes with a discussion of some proposals for improving the efficacy of redistributive policies in Korea."

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Politics - Region: South Asia, grade: 1,2, Ruhr-University of Bochum, language: English, abstract: Over the last six decades, the Republic of Korea experienced rapid economic and social development. Korea was able to ascend from the destruction of the Korean War and grow to the 15th largest economy in 2009 in Gross domestic products (GDP) terms. Especially, the introduction of heavy and chemical industries (HCI) in the beginning of the 1970s influenced economic growth and social development strongly. While the living standards during the 1950s were similar to the standards in the poorest countries today, today Korea is one of the leading industries worldwide. However, the mid-1990s were a turning point for inequality trends in Korea, caused by certain events like the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC) and the change of political power in 1997. This thesis analyzes and discusses the changes in inequality trends since the beginning of the 1990s until now. The focus lies on income inequality trends, the sources, and whether and to which extent it affects education inequality. First, the theoretical framework is defined and explained. This thesis concentrates on interpreting income inequality by using mainly the GINI coefficient and income deciles. The methodology of income measures are elaborately described. The following chapter focuses on the Great Gatsby curve and social mobility. For this thesis, vertical intergenerational mobility is a matter of special importance, therefore, the paper unfolds the relationship between education and intergenerational mobility. The third chapter, covers the main part of this thesis and starts with a general overview over the development in social structures since the 1980s. This section deals with the GDP growth rate trends, Korea’s decreasing fertility rates as well as labor market polarization and briefly identifies the reasons. Further consequences arising from e.g. a polarization of the labor market are addressed in the following chapter. It analyzes income inequality in general as well as in detail by focusing on GINI coefficients, decile ratios, and the trend of share of households. Furthermore, it explains the sources behind an increasing income inequality, especially, regarding wage trends. The last section describes education trends during the last couple of years by analyzing expenditure and participation rates for private tutoring. It also briefly analyzes the contribution of education to intergenerational mobility and tries to answer whether income inequality leads to disadvantages among students.

Income inequality is rising. A quarter of a century ago, the average disposable income of the richest 10% in OECD countries was around seven times higher than that of the poorest 10%; today, it's around 9½ times higher. Why does this matter? Many fear this widening gap is hurting individuals, societies and even economies. This book explores income inequality across five main headings. It starts by explaining some key terms in the inequality debate. It then examines recent trends and explains why income inequality varies between countries. Next it looks at why income gaps are growing and, in particular, at the rise of the 1%. It then looks at the consequences, including research that suggests widening inequality could hurt economic growth. Finally, it examines policies for addressing inequality and making economies more inclusive.

South Korea's post-war economic success is a well-known story. However, its development in the past two decades is relatively less investigated. By reviewing key economic issues in South Korea's economy today, this book offers an input to the research of contemporary South Korea, in particular the country's economic development and its external economic relations.This book provides an analytical overview of key issues in contemporary South Korean economy. The timely and in-depth study presented in the book examines the main reasons behind South Korea's economic slowdown in recent years, the economic and social impact following chaebol's growing business expansion, free trade agreements with China and the United States, the development of income inequality, the ageing demography and the Korean government's policy response to overcome the current economic difficulties.

This book comprises the refereed proceedings of the two International Conference on Green and Smart Technology, GST 2012, and on Sensor and Its Applications, SIA 2012, held in Jeju Island, Korea, in November/December 2012. The papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions and focus on the various aspects of green and smart technology with sensor applications.