• International Area Studies Review
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.549-570
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• 2011

The purpose of this article is to review the current states and future trends in the more developed countries(MDC), the less developed countries(LDC), and Korea. In 2009, the percentage of persons ages 65 and older in the world's population is 8%. However, the ratio of elderly to the total population is higher in MDC than LDC (and Korea). In future, population ageing will be a serious social problem in the LDC (and Korea). Population ageing process will occur at a much faster rate in LDC (and Korea). The reason is that the demographic transition in LDC (and Korea) has occurred in much shorter and recent periods. Though the ageing indices such as the old-age dependency ratio, aging index, and the median ages are higher in MDC, they will change rapidly in LDC. In addition, the oldest old population will increase in LDC than MDC. Therefore, when establishing the government policy related to population ageing, we need to consider the different population ageing process between in MDC and in Korea(or LDC).

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.111-145
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• 2003

This paper attempts to explore recent socio-demographic changes of the ethnic Korean population in Yanbian autonomous prefecture. Due to rapid decrease in the level of fertility and population ageing, Korean minority society in China has been in a process of profound transition after the introduction of the market economy and establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. The changes in demographic behaviors and in the structure of population appear to be much faster among Koreans than Hans. Results from the 2000 population census reveal that the Korean population in Yanbian, where ethnic Koreans are most densely populated in China, has been in a decreasing trends in absolute numbers and in its proportion to the total population. The growing tendency of regional mobility for work and for marriage, rapid expansion of residential areas, serious crisis of ethnic schools of Korean community, and weakening social integration and ethnic identification of Koreans in Yanbian are discussed in this study. It is expected that socio-demographic transition of Korean society in Yanbian will be even more drastic over the coming decades. The rapid changes in demographic behaviors and in the structure of population has major consequences and implications for every sphere of human life, and will present enormous challenges for the status of Korean minority society in China. Along with various statistical data on Yanbian, micro-level data as well as published reports from the 1990 Chinese population census for Yanbian and the 2000 Chinese population census are analyzed in this study. In addition to sex ratios and age ratios, various indices are calculated to analyze the characteristics and accuracy of the data from the 1990 and 2000 population censuses of China.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.240-250
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• 2018

By the end of 2017, in a world of 7.6 billion people, there were inequalities in healthcare indices both within and between nations, and this gap continues to increase. Therefore, this study aims to understand the current status of regional inequalities in healthcare indices and to find an action plan to tackle regional health inequality through a geo-economic review in Korea. Since 2008, there was great inequality in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy by region in not only metropolitan cities but also districts in Korea. While the community health statistics from 2008-2017 show a continuous increase of inequality during the last 10 years in most healthcare indices related to noncommunicable diseases (except for some, like smoking), the inequality has doubled in 254 districts. Furthermore, health inequality intensified as the gap between urban (metropolitan cities) and rural regions (counties) for rates of obesity (self-reported), sufficient walking practices, and healthy lifestyle practices increased from twofold to fivefold. However, regionalism and uneven development are natural consequences of the spatial perspective caused by state-lead developmentalism as Korea has fixed the accumulation strategy as its model for growth with the background of export-led industrialization in the 1960s and heavy and chemical industrialization in the 1970s, although the Constitution of the Republic of Korea recognizes the legal value of balanced development within the regions by specifying "the balanced development of the state" or "ensuring the balanced development of all regions." In addition, the danger of a 30% decline or extinction of local government nationwide is expected by 2040 as we face not only a decline in general and ageing populations but also the era of the demographic cliff. Thus, the government should continuously operate the "Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development" with a government-wide effort until 2030 to prevent disparities in the health conditions of local residents, which is the responsibility of the nation in terms of strengthening governance. To address the regional inequalities of rural and urban regions, it is necessary to re-adjust the basic subsidy and cost-sharing rates with local governments of current national subsidies based mainly on population scale, financial independence of local government, or distribution of healthcare resources and healthcare indices (showing high inequalities) overall.