[Insight & Opinion] Let’s Focus on Addressing Health and Educational Inequality

[Asia Economy] Forecasting and predicting the future is not easy, but it is a valuable task. By thinking ahead about what the future might look like, we can prepare for potential risks and develop strategies to create a better future.

For example, what will be the future of inequality and disparity, one of the pressing issues in our society? Korea's rapid growth has inevitably increased imbalances and disparities as well. If this continues, inequality, polarization, imbalance, and disparity are expected to worsen. While inequality and disparity are increasing, reducing them is by no means easy, which is a major problem.

There is a need to seek entirely new solutions to realize a warm community where everyone is happy and to resolve inequality and disparity. To do this, it is first necessary to properly understand the trends and characteristics of inequality and disparity. In the history of rapid economic growth, most inequalities and disparities initially occurred in economic aspects. Concrete examples include asset inequality, income inequality, housing inequality, wage inequality, and labor inequality. Recently, new forms of inequality have also been spreading. Educational inequality and health inequality are representative phenomena.

How will inequality and disparity in our society develop in the future? Simplifying, they can be divided into three categories: income inequality, health inequality, and educational inequality. Each of these can be seen as representatives of economic, physical, and mental inequality, respectively. Income inequality appears as a result of individual economic activities, while health inequality relates to each individual's physical condition, and educational inequality relates to mental aspects.

Since health and education concern the body and mind that each individual can control, health inequality and educational inequality may be relatively easier to resolve compared to income inequality. Then, the best way to eliminate inequality and disparity naturally emerges: focusing on resolving the relatively easier health inequality and educational inequality.

First, health. Although everyone knows the importance of health, most people fail to properly take care of their health for various reasons. Let us make public health the top national agenda and actively promote health improvement campaigns. In schools, prioritize physical education as the most important subject and allocate the most class hours to it. Let every local government set citizen health as their top policy priority and engage in friendly competition.

Next, education. Regardless of family background, let all students receive the best public education suited to them. Establish a new lifelong education system so that workers and the elderly can continue to receive the education they desire. Create a system that actively supports all citizens in developing their abilities and talents. What happens if inequality in health and education disappears through these efforts? Whether rich or poor, all citizens will have healthy bodies and competitive capabilities. Based on this, each person’s chances of living the life they want and achieving their dreams will proportionally increase.

In this regard, resolving health inequality and educational inequality is ultimately the shortcut to also resolving income inequality and creating a happy community society for all. It may seem very simple and obvious, but investing intensively in the health and education of the people can be the best solution to eliminate the seemingly impossible inequality and disparity in our society.

Kim Hyun-gon, Director of the National Assembly Future Institute