1.
Only four out of ten individuals in low-income groups are enrolled in the national pension system in Korea, where elderly poverty is among the highest in advanced countries, This situation highlights the urgent need for measures to address the issue.
According to the National Pension Research Institute, just 40.96% of people aged 20 to 59 in the lowest income bracket enrolled in the national pension system. This enrollment rate has only risen by 2.15 percentage points since 2009, whereas the enrollment rates for middle- and high-income groups have increased significantly more—by 13.62 and 6.84 percentage points, respectively.
Despite various government support measures, the results have been disappointing. The national pension system has gaps, and poverty among the elderly has worsened with age. Specifically, the poverty rate for those over 85 has risen from 48.23% to 52.44%.
2.
Fire authorities are mulling to install more sprinklers to address growing fears about fires caused by electronic vehicles.
The National Fire Agency plans to discuss improvements to fire department’s response measures at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Environment on Monday
Currently, sprinkler systems installed on the ceiling of facilities are spaced 2.3 meters between each sprinkler head. The fire authorities are considering reducing this distance to 2 to 2.1 meters so that more water can be sprayed for quicker extinghusihment
Increasing the sensitivity of heads of sprinklers will also be discussed.
Such increase can help sprinklers response to airflow temperature and velocity faster, making it suitable for high-risk areas, but it can also increase the possibility of malfunction.
Thus, specific measures will be made after sufficient discussion.
“Sufficient review and input from experts are necessary to decide whether to implement the system only in the ev charging area or the whole underground parking space,” said a fire official.