타인을 위한 생명보험에서 보험수익자 지정·변경과 상속에 관한 연구

Abstract

오늘날 사회는 산업과 교통이 고도로 발달함과 동시에 고령화 사회에 접어들면서, 경제생활의 안정과 노후대비의 중요성이 커지고 있다. 이러한 예측 불가능한 위험에 대비하기 위한 방법이 바로 보험제도이다. 보험이라 함은 현대사회에서 같은 종류의 사고를 당할 위험성이 있는 다수의 사람이 미리 금전을 비축하여 공동재산을 형성하고, 사고가 일어났을 경우 그 당사자가 공동재산으로부터 재산적 급여를 받는 제도를 말한다. 이러한 보험제도는 보험사고로 인한 경제적 불안을 제거하고, 개인의 경제생활의 안정을 추구할 수 있게 도와주는 사회보장적 기능을 담당하고 있다.

이러한 보험제도 중에서 오늘날 특히 문제되는 것은 바로 생명보험계약이다. 생명보험계약이란 보험자가 보험계약자로부터 보험료를 받고 피보험자의 생명에 관한 보험사고가 발생한 경우 약정한 보험금액을 지급하기로 하는 인보험계약이다. 생명보험계약의 목적은 유족의 생활보장에 있기 때문에, 피보험자가 사망하면 보험수익자가 사망보험금을 받는 것을 주된 내용으로 하는 타인을 위한 생명보험계약을 체결하는 것이 일반적이다.

보통 장기간으로 체결되는 생명보험계약에서는 계약 당시의 사정변경으로 인하여 보험계약자가 보험수익자를 변경하고자 하는 경우가 발생하고 있다. 이러한 보험수익자의 지정·변경에 관하여 우리 상법 제733조에 규정하고 있지만 이를 둘러싼 여러 가지 문제가 있다. 우선 우리나라에서는 보험수익자 지정·변경권이 유보되어 있는지, 아닌지에 상관없이 보험계약자에게 보험금청구권을 제외한 모든 권리가 귀속되기 때문에 보험수익자의 지위를 보장하는데 어려움이 있다. 그리고 현금통화의 유동성이 큰 생명보험계약의 사망보험금이 상속대비책을 세우는 데 중요한 역할을 하고, 생명보험의 기능이 다양화되면서 생명보험계약에서 이해관계인간의 이해충돌이 발생하고 있고, 이러한 이해충돌이 상속법과 상충하여 발생된 문제가 최근 대두되고 있다.

따라서 본 논문에서는 타인을 위한 생명보험에 대해 간단히 살펴보고, 보험수익자 지정·변경이 각국에서 어떻게 논의되고 있는지, 그리고 상속과 관련해서 어떠한 문제점들이 발생하고 있는지를 검토해 본 이후에 개선방안을 제시하고자 한다. | Today, the society is going through rapid development in industries and transportation, and as it turns into an aging society, a growing number of people recognize the importance of achieving economic stability and making provision for old age. Against this backdrop, many find insurance system a plausible way to counter unpredictable risks in the future. Insurance refers to a system where a large number of people who might experience the same type of risks in the contemporary society jointly save money to create common assets so that they can benefit from the joint assets if an accident occurs to them. The insurance system plays a part in removing economic instability caused by an insurance accident while serving as a social security system that enables people to push for economic stability.

Of many insurance policies, life insurance policies particularly have many problems for today. A life insurance policy refers to personal insurance where an insurer receives insurance premium from the insured to provide insurance money if an insurance accident related to life of the insured occurs. Since life insurance policies usually aim to provide security to the bereaved, they are mostly established for others so that a death benefit can be offered to insurance beneficiaries if the insured are diseased.

In many cases of long-term life insurance policies, the insured frequently want to change insurance beneficiaries for reasons of circumstantial changes. Although Article 733 of Commercial Code specifies matters related to designation and change of insurance beneficiaries, there are still various problems related to it. In particular, a death benefit of a life insurance policy with high liquidity plays an important role in preparing for inheritance. As life insurance policies become functionally diversified, conflicts occur among stakeholders of life insurance policies, and as these conflicts run counter to Inheritance Act, problems have recently taken place.

Against this backdrop, the study is focused on taking a brief look at life insurance policies for others and examining the way designation and change of insurance beneficiaries are discussed in various countries while delving into problems related to inheritance before suggesting an improvement plan.; Today, the society is going through rapid development in industries and transportation, and as it turns into an aging society, a growing number of people recognize the importance of achieving economic stability and making provision for old age. Against this backdrop, many find insurance system a plausible way to counter unpredictable risks in the future. Insurance refers to a system where a large number of people who might experience the same type of risks in the contemporary society jointly save money to create common assets so that they can benefit from the joint assets if an accident occurs to them. The insurance system plays a part in removing economic instability caused by an insurance accident while serving as a social security system that enables people to push for economic stability.

Of many insurance policies, life insurance policies particularly have many problems for today. A life insurance policy refers to personal insurance where an insurer receives insurance premium from the insured to provide insurance money if an insurance accident related to life of the insured occurs. Since life insurance policies usually aim to provide security to the bereaved, they are mostly established for others so that a death benefit can be offered to insurance beneficiaries if the insured are diseased.

In many cases of long-term life insurance policies, the insured frequently want to change insurance beneficiaries for reasons of circumstantial changes. Although Article 733 of Commercial Code specifies matters related to designation and change of insurance beneficiaries, there are still various problems related to it. In particular, a death benefit of a life insurance policy with high liquidity plays an important role in preparing for inheritance. As life insurance policies become functionally diversified, conflicts occur among stakeholders of life insurance policies, and as these conflicts run counter to Inheritance Act, problems have recently taken place.

Against this backdrop, the study is focused on taking a brief look at life insurance policies for others and examining the way designation and change of insurance beneficiaries are discussed in various countries while delving into problems related to inheritance before suggesting an improvement plan.