By Kim Sung-jin
Staff Reporter


Fewer Korean couples got divorced in 2004 than the previous year for the first time in 17 years, while the number of marriages increased.
The number of divorces amounted to 139,365 in 2004, down 16.6 percent from the previous year, according to a report of social indicators by the National Statistical Office (NSO) Friday.

The number of divorces revealed a steep increase from 42,116 in 1988.

The NSO attributed the year-on-year decrease of divorces to an increased number of marriages, and improved institutional measures such as counseling services.

The number of marriages rose 2 percent to 310,944 in 2004, the first rebound in eight years. The number of remarriages also increased, up 16.1 percent to 44,355 in 2004.

The average marrying age rose in 2004. For men the age was 30.6 years old, an increase of 0.5 years in 2004, while the average for women was 27.5 years, up 0.2 years.

With young adults increasingly delaying their marriages, the average age of women delivering their first babies rose 2.5 years to 28.9 years old from 1994.

The report also showed that those aged between 15 and 64 years olds whom 100 Koreans have to financially support reached 12.6 persons last year from 12.1 persons the previous year.

The number of elderly citizens aged over 65 amounted to 4.38 million at the end of 2005, accounting for 9.1 percent of the total Korean population.

The population 65 years old and older rose constantly from 7.2 percent in 2000 to 7.9 percent in 2002, 8.7 percent in 2004 and to 9.1 percent.

On the other hand, the ratio of the productive population aged between 15 and 64, is stagnating at 71.8 percent. The ratio stood at 71.6 percent in 2000. The ratio of youth population, aged 14 and below, fell to 19.1 percent in 2005 from 21.1 percent in 2000.

Following the changes, the economically inactive aged-to-productive population ratio rose to 12.6 percent in 2005, up 0.5 percentage point from a year earlier. The ratio rose 6.9 percentage points from 1970.

The ratio means that every 100 people 15-64 years old has to financially support 12.6 elderly citizens aged 65 years old and older.

The economic activities of senior citizens 55 year old and older increased at the same time. The number in that age bracket totaled 3.86 million, accounting for 16.9 percent of the newly employed in 2005.

Meanwhile, largely due to aggravated financial conditions from prolonged economic doldrums, the number of reported crimes rose 3.8 percent to 2.08 million cases in 2004. The figure translates into 4,328 reported crimes per 100,000 people on average.

People also turned to liquor and cigarettes to relieve their stress from worsened economic conditions. Korean adults aged 19 and older consumed 88.2 liters of alcoholic beverage in 2004, up 2.6 percent from 2003.

Per adult cigarette consumption, which declined from 7.8 cigarettes a day in 1994 to 5.6 cigarettes in 2002, rebounded to 5.7 cigarettes in 2003 and 6.2 cigarettes in 2004.


sjkim@koreatimes.co.kr