고령화시대 정책과제와 정책 거버넌스 평가

As Korea is faced with three layers of problems of low growth and low fertility rates as well as aging population, proper analyses and policy measures on these matters must be sought out. Aging society in particular is at risk of having increased social problems and financial pressure as a result of declining working population, old age poverty, and expansion in number of pensioners, requiring a policy approach that improves integration and connectedness across wide range of policies, including population, health and medical services, welfare, labor and industry. Although, over the last 10 years, Korean government established the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy to implement various policies in response to low fertility rate and aging population of Korean society, it was clear that there were a number of limitations in achieving expected results given the policy resources invested. To improve effectiveness of old age policies, following can be suggested as priority challenges to be solved based on thorough review of current policy governance system centered around the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy and the Ministry of Health and Welfare: 1) establishment of a planning group or a ministry dedicated to policy coordination that can adjust old age related policies at the macro-level, 2) discovery and support of old age friendly future industries to overcome threats arising from aging population and to maximize possible opportunities, 3) reorganization of service delivery systems and training of professionals in anticipation of increased demand for welfare, 4) guaranteeing old age income through improvement in labor market flexibility and reform of the pension structure, 5) creation of institutional foundations for policy implementation and financial sharing between government and private sector as well as between central and local governments.