Park Hong-geun, Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, announced plans to redesign the national system to address population decline and aging. He emphasized a shift from quantitative growth aimed at increasing population size to qualitative growth focused on enhancing productivity and quality of life.
Speaking at the seminar titled 'Population Structure Change, the Future of South Korea, and Response Directions,' co-hosted by the National Assembly Future Research Institute, Park stated, "Population structure change is not an uncertainty but a foreseen future."
He highlighted that changes in population structure extend beyond mere issues of decline and aging, directly impacting sustainability across various sectors, including employment, education, welfare, and balanced national development. He stressed the need for social consensus to equitably distribute burdens and share outcomes and opportunities, as the effects of demographic changes vary by generation, class, and region.
Kim Ki-sik, head of the National Assembly Future Research Institute, welcomed participants by noting that the impacts of population structure changes are already evident in areas closely related to citizens' lives, such as education and the labor market. He emphasized the necessity of organically linking individual policies under a long-term population strategy that encompasses education, employment, industry, and regional development.
The seminar discussed the implications of population decline and aging on education, labor, and industry, as well as long-term response strategies. Min Bo-kyung, head of the research planning office at the National Assembly Future Research Institute, projected that the effects of declining birth rates would manifest over time in schools, universities, military service, and the labor market. She recommended a national-level response that connects policies across education, defense, labor, industry, and regional development, as the impacts may occur in a chain reaction and vary by region.
Issues surrounding youth labor market entry and career development were also highlighted as major challenges. An Soo-ji, a deputy researcher at the National Assembly Future Research Institute, explained that younger generations tend to have shorter job retention periods and experience increased job mobility accompanied by unemployment. She stressed the need to shift policies toward enhancing the stability and sustainability of youth career paths rather than focusing solely on short-term employment outcomes.
Kim Ji-woon, a professor at Hongik University, proposed key strategies including slowing the pace of population decline, enhancing human resource utilization, restructuring national systems, and responding to an ultra-aged society. He explained that sustainable growth and intergenerational coexistence should be pursued by moving away from the existing quantitative growth model toward improving productivity and the quality of life for citizens.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance plans to incorporate the recommendations from experts and academia presented at this seminar into the development of the 2045 long-term national development strategy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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