Korea in 2050
Time to Chart Better Future Amid Cataclysmic Changes
It is interesting to imagine what Korea will be like after 40 years. An old Korean saying goes: Rivers and mountains change in 10 years. This means that a lot of changes take place in the span of a decade. Likewise, we Koreans can say that no one knows what will have happened to the nation by 2050. Of course, some say that the nation will be subject to many sea changes in the distant future.
A government-sponsored study is enough to satisfy the curiosity of the public about the futuristic look of Korea. It is not difficult to bring to mind structural changes in population, society, culture, lifestyle, climate, industry and the economy. If we look back to the past century, we can paint a broad picture of the enormous transformation that a new Korea will bring to the nation.
According to ``A Grand Vision 2050'' presented Thursday by the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, one of the most eye-catching predictions is a demographic change. First of all, the nation is expected to become a multicultural society. The institute reported that the number of foreign residents will nearly quadruple from the current 1.1 million to 4.09 million in 2050. They are forecast to account for 9.8 percent of the nation's population, up from the present 2.2 percent. It therefore is necessary to take bold steps to create a more open and culturally diversified society.
Other noticeable demographic changes will include a decline in the entire population and an upsurge in the number of senior citizens. The nation's birthrate has already reached the world's lowest level of 1.19. It is only a matter of time before we see the level fall below 1. The report predicted that the number of childbirths per year will decline to 193,000 in 2050 from an estimated 435,000 in 2010. As a result, citizens aged 65 and older will make up 38.2 percent of the population, which will decrease to 42 million in 2050 from the current 49 million, meaning Korea will emerge as the world's most aged society.
Climate change is also capturing attention. The Korean Peninsula is likely to resemble a subtropical region on the back of global warming. Average temperatures could rise by 4 degrees Celsius over the next 100 years. Pine trees, one of the popular plants in Korea, are feared to disappear and farmers will no longer grow apple trees.
The research center, however, said that per capita national income will reach as high as $80,000 in 2050, boosting economic strength to allow competition with advanced countries. It might be too rosy a picture, but not a pipe dream. Whether Korea will join the ranks of wealthy countries depends on how the nation will chart its new future. That's why we need the 2050 vision report. Let's face up to the present and brace for changes in proactive and dynamic ways to usher in a better future.