Various systems related to social security have been implemented since the late 1980s. These included expansion of medical insurance and medical assistance in 1988 and 1989, and the introduction of an Unemployment Insurance System in 1995. The government has thus provided the basis for building a society that can ensure the well-being of its people. While the primary goal of the above systems is to provide minimum guarantees to the economically active population in the case of economic difficulties, there are also welfare programs for those not economically active. These public subsidy programs consist mainly of the two parts: subsidies for living expenses and medical assistance.

High-speed three dimensional CT (computed tomography) examination

Due to elevated living standards and the improvement in health and medical services, the average age of Koreans has increased rapidly, which means that the number of elderly has increased significantly over the years. In 1960, the population aged 65 and over comprised 2.9 percent of Korea's total population. By the end of 2005, this ratio had increased to 9.1 percent, and is expected to rise to 14.4 percent by 2019.

Policies that have been implemented to improve the welfare of the elderly include the provision of direct subsidies to the elderly living under the subsistence level, the expanding of employment opportunities for older people by developing suitable jobs and opening job placement centers, the strengthening of health care systems for the aged, and the opening of various types of public facilities for the elderly.

With the strengthening of social security measures since the late 1980s, awareness of the needs of the disabled has been increasing. In February 2003, the Ministry of Health and Welfare developed "The Second Five-Year Welfare Development Plan for disabled 2003-2007," which is to be implemented in cooperation with other executive branches of the government, including the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development and the Ministry of Labor, etc.

This development plan envisages, first, to improve overall welfare by expanding public subsidy programs, installing more facilities for the disabled in public places, and building more welfare centers; second, to increase the number of educational institutions that provide job training; and third, to increase employment opportunities by providing subsidies to employers for installing necessary facilities.