Kickoff Meeting of Single-Person Household TF

Single-Person Household TF Takes Off

The single-person household TF took off on January 17, which will work on measures to deal with soaring single-person households.  The measures are scheduled to be announced in May. 

First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Kim Yong-beum presided over the first TF meeting.  The following is a summary of his keynote address.

Single-person households are soaring

Single-person households had doubled during the last 20 years to 29 percent in 2019 compared with 15 percent in 2000.  There are a number of reasons for this fast increase of single-person households, including rapidly ageing population and depreciation in values given to traditional families as our society has gone through changes very fast.  According to Statistics Korea, single-person households are projected to amount to over 30 percent to total population this year and will continue to add more than 100,000 households every year.

Policies still focusing on a family of four

It is time to review our policy framework we set with a family of four in mind, and seek ways to provide a right support to those in need of it.  For example, young single-person households will need a housing support, mid-aged single-person households will have to fight loneliness, and elderly single-person households will need a strong social security system. 

The task force is to look into the country’s single-person household situation and their need.  Based on the task force’s analysis, the government will work on measures to support single-person households.  The measures will include plans to promote a “solo economy”, a term referring to a market for single-person households. 

Please refer to the attached pdf