Rural Residents Perceive Rich-Poor Gap Widening in Rural Korea

Sixty Percent of Rural Residents Think There is a Severe Wealth Gap

According to a report on the bipolarization of rural Korea by KREI researcher Ma Sang-Jin, about sixty percent of rural residents think that there exists a severe wealth gap in rural Korea. Particularly in the case of those residing near metro areas, it was found that most of the rural residents (83.2%) think there is a severe wealth gap in the nation’s rural areas.

Rural Residents’ Perception of Wealth Gap in Rural Korea
(Severe Bipolarization of Wealth in Rural Korea?)

Yes                                       59.6%            

           Absolutely                  11.2%

           Almost                        48.4%

No                                        19%

           Absolutely                  0.2%

           Almost                      18.8%

Moderate                                21.4%

Regional Differences of Perception on Rural Bipolarization

Semi-Mountainous Farm Regions                  44.8%

Plain Farm Regions                                      52.8%

Mountainous Coastal Regions                       57.6%

Suburban Regions                                        83.2%

According to the study, it was also revealed that, among the six categories of earnings, employment, education, health, housing, and social participation, the gap in earnings, in particular, came out to be the most serious.  

Rural Residents’ Perception of Bipolarization by Sector

Health                                    46.8%

Social Participation                 49.8%

Education                              50.8%

Housing                                58.0%

Employment                           65.8%

Earnings                               69.2%

The Need to Tackle the Bipolarization through Various Means

With respect to the main causes of bipolarization in rural areas, the respondents named economic factors such as earnings and employment as key elements that determine the gap in rural areas. Having revealed that there are high correlations among the widening gaps in different sectors, researcher Ma points out that the bipolarization in rural areas should be dealt with by considering various aspects that include economic as well as social aspects of education, health, housing, and social participation.

Researcher Ma also called attention to the current situation which he said is serious enough to make rural Korea no different from today’s bleak urban life. Under such background, he stressed that the government needs to come up with comprehensive countermeasures to ease and resolve the rural gap in link with economic, labor, and welfare policies.