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South Korea’s income disparities have worsened to an unprecedented level in the fourth quarter despite the government’s income-focused economic direction as the poor got poorer and the rich richer in the fastest pace, data showed.

According to data released by Statistics Korea on Thursday, the average monthly nominal income of households with two or more members in the bottom 20 percent bracket dropped 17.7 percent year over year to 1.238 million won ($1,100) in the fourth quarter ended December. It is the biggest drop for the quarter since the agency began compiling related data in 2003. In the third quarter ended September, monthly average income for the bottom 20 percent bracket dropped 7 percent from the same period a year ago.

The drop was mainly led by a significant fall in earned income (36.8 percent) as well as business income (8.6 percent).

Average nominal income of households belonging to the bottom 20 to 40 percent bracket also dropped 4.8 percent from a year ago to 2.773 million won in the October-December period, another record fall, data showed. In the third quarter ended September, income dropped 0.5 percent. The figure for the middle class in the 40 percent to 60 percent income bracket rose 1.8 percent.

Average nominal income of the top income bracket, meanwhile, gained at the fastest pace at 10.4 percent to 9.324 million won in the fourth quarter, data showed. The figure for the fourth quintile belonging to the top 20 percent to 40 percent also rose 4.8 percent in the October-December period, the biggest increase since 5.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Average nominal income of all households jumped 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter ended December, last year, marking an increase for the fifth straight quarter, data showed.

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