Mortality transition in Korea: its implications for health policy and education

This paper discusses the progress and prospects for mortality reduction in Korea, drawing upon the scanty data available in the literature. Data suggest that recent mortality improvement in Korea is slowing; that male mortality patterns at older ages are deviating from model life tables; that infant and child mortality is relatively high; and that transitional changes in the cause-of-death structure of infants and children are lagging behind their elders. Implications of these trends form a principal basis for concern about health policy issues in Korea. Any continuing progress in mortality would require major effort in several areas: accurate and adequate assessment of disease patterns and health behavior; reexamination of current health care strategies and public health measures; and analyses of social and economic development policies relevant to health conditions.