There is sadly nothing new in news headlines about people in Korea who commit suicide. The nation has held the highest suicide rate within the OECD for years. Nevertheless, the latest series of suicides, prompted mostly by dire economic predicaments, deserves serious social discussion and national soul-searching.
Korea boasts about becoming the world's 15th-largest economy with per capita income nearing $30,000 in one generation. Hidden behind the glittering façade are various structural problems, such as the sixth-highest poverty rate, second-widest income gap, and second-lowest welfare spending in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
It would be rather strange if the combination of these figures does not lead to the highest suicide rate and close to lowest happiness index of the 34-member club of rich countries.
So most government officials, from President Park Geun-hye on down, who attribute the recent joint suicides of a mother and two daughters to the administrative failure of spotting those needing help in advance are only half right. The real, fundamental problem is the absolute shortage of the welfare spending.
Fiscal hawks who worry about the yearly welfare budget of 100 trillion won should know that the nation still spends only 11 percent of its GDP on welfare, compared with an average of 20 percent among OECD countries. President Park has to raise taxes exclusively to enlarge the nation's too small social safety net, not least because her political leitmotif is to speed up the advent of a ''national happiness era."
Coming next is how to tighten the safety net by plugging loopholes. The mother-daughter family, for instance, gave up applying for basic living subsidies because they were all presumed to have the ability to work, aged between 15 and 65. In reality, the 61-year-old mother lost her job after she sustained an arm injury, and her 30-something daughters had problems working, for physical or financially reasons.
Experts estimate that there are up to 4 million people in such ''near poor" category, who can always fall to officially-recognized poverty levels with only slight accidents on breadwinners of families. There is also a dire shortage of manpower in welfare officials, who fill the gap between documents and actual circumstances, that these officials commit suicide because of overwork and other work-related stress.
And this explains why President Park ought to beef up welfare officials, which will also help attain her goal of hitting an employment rate of 70 percent. Also necessary is changing the mindsets of bureaucrats, who still regard the provision of basic welfare as dispensation, not duty. Guaranteeing minimal standard of living is an obligation of the state, similar to national defense.
Economists say that growth is a better means of eradicating poverty than redistribution in the long run. Yet there will always remain people abandoned in times of prosperity, whom only a larger, closer-knit safety net can save.
President Park's promise for per capita income of $40,000 couldn't ring more hollow if her government cannot reduce these "social casualties" during her tenure.
Korea boasts about becoming the world's 15th-largest economy with per capita income nearing $30,000 in one generation. Hidden behind the glittering façade are various structural problems, such as the sixth-highest poverty rate, second-widest income gap, and second-lowest welfare spending in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
It would be rather strange if the combination of these figures does not lead to the highest suicide rate and close to lowest happiness index of the 34-member club of rich countries.
So most government officials, from President Park Geun-hye on down, who attribute the recent joint suicides of a mother and two daughters to the administrative failure of spotting those needing help in advance are only half right. The real, fundamental problem is the absolute shortage of the welfare spending.
Fiscal hawks who worry about the yearly welfare budget of 100 trillion won should know that the nation still spends only 11 percent of its GDP on welfare, compared with an average of 20 percent among OECD countries. President Park has to raise taxes exclusively to enlarge the nation's too small social safety net, not least because her political leitmotif is to speed up the advent of a ''national happiness era."
Coming next is how to tighten the safety net by plugging loopholes. The mother-daughter family, for instance, gave up applying for basic living subsidies because they were all presumed to have the ability to work, aged between 15 and 65. In reality, the 61-year-old mother lost her job after she sustained an arm injury, and her 30-something daughters had problems working, for physical or financially reasons.
Experts estimate that there are up to 4 million people in such ''near poor" category, who can always fall to officially-recognized poverty levels with only slight accidents on breadwinners of families. There is also a dire shortage of manpower in welfare officials, who fill the gap between documents and actual circumstances, that these officials commit suicide because of overwork and other work-related stress.
And this explains why President Park ought to beef up welfare officials, which will also help attain her goal of hitting an employment rate of 70 percent. Also necessary is changing the mindsets of bureaucrats, who still regard the provision of basic welfare as dispensation, not duty. Guaranteeing minimal standard of living is an obligation of the state, similar to national defense.
Economists say that growth is a better means of eradicating poverty than redistribution in the long run. Yet there will always remain people abandoned in times of prosperity, whom only a larger, closer-knit safety net can save.
President Park's promise for per capita income of $40,000 couldn't ring more hollow if her government cannot reduce these "social casualties" during her tenure.
![[INTERVIEW] North Korean-born chef delights Southerners' taste buds, breaks down cultural barriers](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/3a6dc51899d548b990f489b784a0ecd3.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[ANALYSIS] Yoon-Kishida meeting raises expectations of 3-way summit with China](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/f435e5a0dc774045ba9e051c7ea72913.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
