고령화시대 사회보험의 발전방향 - 국민연금을 중심으로 -

The rapidly aging society has meant a change in the population structure and a sharply expanding proportion of beneficiaries of social security services, while the number of economically active population is remarkably decreasing. On the one hand this is a clear crisis in terms of securing financial resources to realize the welfare state, but on the other, it is an opportunity to place more importance of the society as well. The main issue is a high possibility of collision with those both sides. Fails to secure funding for realizing the welfare state results in a failure of placing a more significance on the welfare state. Even though the recent rapid progress of demographic aging would be a crisis in the welfare state, it could be another opportunity or a beginning point of a gold age to be the welfare state only if we wisely overcome those changes. However, the theory of the welfare state cannot be a solution to overcome the social crisis. The realization of the welfare state is based on the national consensus about the meaning and necessity to justify the welfare state; and it means that the democratic consensus is the most important basis of the welfare state realization. Therefore, people’s choice does ultimately affect the fate of the welfare state facing the aging society. In this regards, the prerequisites for people to make right decisions are correct perceptions of reality and predictions of future. This study examines with respect to the influences of social and demographic changes on the welfare state and the future development plan of the national pension service in the ageing era. This study is a part of scientific assignments to be continued in the future, and theoretical analysis and assessment of the reality should lead this reality to the right way as keeping up with current circumstances. At the same time, theories can be sometimes modified in response to the unexpected changes in reality. However, all of these can only have a real substantial meaning under the proper understandings about the function of the national pension and features of the welfare state without any distortions of these policies. It is not only a scholar’s hope who studies in this field but also a reasonable request as one of the people living in this era and one of the sovereigns. Now, the aging society is not an uncertain future but the reality facing us. Under this circumstance, securing the future of the aged through the effective national pension service becomes the essential factor which determines the quality of life for all of us. Strong social consensus about the national pension service and the future development plan of the welfare state would be the basis to solve these facing problems.