'33 Trillion Invested' 생활SOC... Elderly Welfare Housing and Health Centers Achieve 1.5 Times Target

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Seon-hee] The government has invested approximately 33 trillion won over the past three years in 'life SOC (Social Overhead Capital)' projects, significantly expanding facilities related to culture, sports, and welfare. In particular, facilities such as senior welfare housing and community health centers, which are directly linked to the quality of life of the people, have been initiated at nearly 1.5 times the target. Other facilities are planned to be promoted as scheduled by the end of this year to achieve the goals.

The Life SOC Promotion Team of the Office for Government Policy Coordination held the '2022 Life SOC Policy Conference' jointly with the Architecture and Space Research Institute at the Government Sejong Convention Center on the afternoon of the 23rd, sharing policy achievements and discussing future development plans. The government established the 'Life SOC 3-Year Plan' in 2019, started implementation in 2020, and this year is the final year.

Joo-hyun Lee, Planning Director of the Life SOC Promotion Team at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, cited major achievements related to Life SOC as ▲ investments totaling 33 trillion won ▲ expansion of 33 major facilities including libraries, gymnasiums, and life culture centers ▲ selection of 530 complex facilities ▲ balanced development and job creation. Director Lee stated, "This year, we will focus on spreading the achievements of the 3-year plan, enhancing policy awareness, and supporting the strengthening of local implementation capabilities."

Life SOC refers to related facilities that enhance public convenience in daily life, such as childcare, medical care, welfare, transportation, culture, sports facilities, and parks. In Korea, compared to advanced countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, related facilities are insufficient. For example, while advanced countries generally have one gymnasium per 10,000 to 20,000 people, Korea has about one per 53,000 people. Particularly, swimming pools are only one per 125,000 people, showing a much larger gap compared to advanced countries (one per 10,000 to 40,000 people).

Accordingly, the government has steadily expanded related facilities by investing 10.9 trillion won in 2020, 11 trillion won in 2021, and 11 trillion won in 2022. Facilities such as soccer fields, senior health centers, public libraries, life culture centers, national and public kindergartens, senior welfare housing, community health centers, pediatric rehabilitation medical centers, regional rehabilitation hospitals, and national park campgrounds have exceeded their targets, and swimming pools and gymnasiums have recorded nearly 100% initiation rates.

Seong Eun-young, a research fellow at the Architecture and Space Research Institute who attended the conference, suggested that for the 'quantitative' development of Life SOC policies, "it is necessary to shift the policy focus from central government support to local leadership, from supply-oriented to citizen (user)-centered, and to enhance sustainability in preparation for future environments."

Yoon-chul Koo, head of the Life SOC Promotion Team at the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "The government has done its best to expand Life SOC and improve services across leisure, care, and safety sectors to enhance the quality of life for the people," adding, "We will continue to spread the achievements of the 3-year plan and strive to ensure that the public can feel these results during the remaining period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.