Economic inequality in Korea gets worse

Описание: "불평등 심해졌다"…지난해 지니계수 악화
Income inequality is a growing problem in many parts of the world... and Korea is no exception.
A new report shows... the gap between the haves and have－nots in Korea.... is even widening further in some cases.
And， as our Kim Min－ji reports the nation′s economic condition isn′t helping， either.
Inequality in Korea hasn′t changed much over the past few years.
According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs，... the country′s Gini coefficient， which measures inequality， has come to a standstill or dipped in terms of disposable income and spending.
A reading of zero means complete income equality，... while higher numbers up to one indicate a widening gap between the rich and poor.
In the wake of the global financial crisis，... the coefficient climbed to point－305 in terms of disposable income.
Then， it started a downward trend， falling to point－294 in 2013.
And it has remained unchanged since.
As for spending，... the Gini ratio stood at point－266 in 2009. It decreased in the following years but in 2012， it went up again， and as of last year， it stood at point－262.

″The trend over the last three years is reflective of a slow economy and a lack of jobs. When there′s an economic slump， the gap widens. The upper class remains fine but lower classes get hit and their hardships worsen.″
Meanwhile， Korea′s relative poverty rate， which indicates the ratio of households that earn less than 50 percent of the median income， hit 14－point－2 percent in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
But as of last year， it fell to 13－point－3 percent，... showing a slight improvement in the country′s poverty level.
Kim Min－ji， Arirang News.

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