Population aging and its health implications in Korea

The author discusses the health implications of population aging in the Republic of Korea. "The aging of [the] Korean population, until recently, has remained in its early stage, and Korea is expected to enjoy 'a golden period' of lower age dependency ratio by the early 2020s. Accordingly, little attention has been focused on the health issues and problems associated with these demographic changes toward aging in Korea. But the changing demographic structure...will proceed with a relatively high tempo in the next decades.... Therefore it is stressed that 'the reserved years' of lower dependency, before population aging becomes a substantial public and private burden in Korean demographic context, must be fully utilized to formulate effective policies and counter-measures in health and welfare sectors, on which the greatest impacts of aging will fall." (SUMMARY IN KOR)