The Korea Herald

지나쌤

[Graphic News] Younger people pay more, receive fewer benefits from public services

By Korea Herald

Published : July 28, 2014 - 21:22

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Members of South Korea’s younger generation are likely to receive less than what they paid into public benefits, a report showed Monday, highlighting the government’s demographic dilemma of having to balance its fiscal policy amid a rapidly aging society that is spurring welfare spending.

People in their 20s and 30s during their lifetime will spend 100 million won ($97,561) more than the value of government benefits they will actually receive, according to a working paper coauthored by Bank of Korea economists Kim Myoung-chul and Im Seong-yong, and Kim Young-gak, an economics professor at Senshu University in Japan.

Compared with people aged over 55 as of 2011 who received more benefits for what they paid for, those in younger age groups are expected to pay a minimum of 36.2 million won (50-55 age group) to as much as 112.4 million won (30-35 age group), according to the report.

The paper, which compares South Korea with its more quickly aging neighbor Japan, comes as the underemployed but highly educated younger generation faces mounting costs in supporting their parents.