Trends and factors in income distribution have been put under analysis on a continued basis in Korea. Income distribution in Korea is known to have deteriorated in the period spanning the 1990s and the late 2000s. Some previous studies have attributed such deterioration mostly to the widening inequalities in the labor market. In comparison, however, there has been limited attention given to the 2010s, a period for which most indicators point to improvements in income distribution. Drawing on the Survey of Household Finances and Living Conditions, this study examines trends in income distribution in the 2010s and the effects on them of income protection programs.
