Poverty in Korea, Why It Remains High?: Analysis of the Trend in Poverty since the 1990s

한국의 빈곤, 왜 감소하지 않는가? - 1990년대 이후 빈곤 추이의 분석 -

  • Published : 2004.11.30

Abstract

The economic crisis in $1997{\sim}1998$ caused massive unemployment and unprecedentedly increased the number of the poor in Korea. As many unemployed families fell into poverty, the poverty rate skyrocketed to higher than 10 percent. Not later than 2000, unemployment late got back to normal and real average income among urban households approached to the income level prior to the economic crisis. Although the economic crisis has been passed through, poverty was not decreased to the low level prior to the crisis by 2000. Why does it remain high? This study attempts to provide an answer to this question by analysing the poverty trend over the 1990s. Data come from the National Survey of Household Income and Expenditures 1991, 1996, and 20001. Results show that poverty was rapidly reduced in the first half period of the 1990s. This reduction in poverty is largely explained by steady and rapid economic growth. Modest improvement in income inequality also contributed. In contrast, the poverty rate considerably increased in the latter half of the 1990s. Average income was not fully recovered to its prior level, which reflected the economic crisis and the subsequent economic stagnation. Worsened income inequality led to higher poverty rate too. In addition, demographic changes increased the share of economically vulnerable types of families, such as families headed by single parents and the elderly. The most significant factor in explaining the higher poverty rate was extended income differential among non-elderly adults, while the next was the increased number of the elderly families. Yet, findings a little differ depending on which concepts of poverty to adopt. In the analyses based on the concept of absolute poverty, economic growth the most significantly affected the poverty trends in the 1999s. Changes in income inequality played the most important role in explaining the trend in relative poverty. Adopting the concepts of quasi-absolute poverty, which is preferred in this study, results show that rapid economic growth significantly reduced poverty in the first half of the 1990s and both worsened income inequality and stagnated economic growth increased poverty in the latter 1990s.

외환위기와 함께 본격적으로 등장한 빈곤문제가 위기의 진정에도 불구하고 위기 이전 수준으로 대폭 감소되지 않을까? 본 연구는 가구소비실태조사 자료를 이용한 1990년대 이후 빈곤추이 분석을 통해 이러한 물음에 답한다. 1990년대 전반기는 급속한 빈곤 감소를 특징으로 한다. 이 시기의 빈곤 감소에는 경제성장이 결정적인 요인으로 작용하였고 소득불평등도의 완화 또한 영향을 미쳤다. 1990년 후반에는 빈곤율이 크게 높아졌다. 경제성장의 침체로 소득수준은 감소하거나 정체상태에 머무른 한편, 소득불평등도가 증대되고 빈곤취약가구가 증가하는 인구학적 변화가 일어나 빈곤 증대를 초래하였다. 이러한 추이에는 주로는 경제활동을 수행하는 성인의 소득격차 확대가, 부차적으로는 노인가구의 증대가 영향을 미쳤다. 절대빈곤의 추이에서는 경제성장의 영향이 주로 부각되고, 상대빈곤의 추이에서는 분배구조 변화의 역할이 크게 나타난다. 준절대빈곤의 경우 1990년대 전반부에는 경제성장으로 상당한 빈곤감소가 발생하고 후반부에는 소득불평등 악화와 경제성장 정체로 빈곤증가가 이루어진 것으로 나타났다.

Keywords