Jongno-gu Certified as WHO Age-friendly City... Creating a City Where the Elderly Are Happy

Recognized for Establishing Strategies and Foundations in 8 Key Areas of Age-Friendly Cities Proposed by WHO... Steady Efforts Including Enactment of Related Ordinances, Formation of Committees, and Establishment of 3-Year Action Plans Ahead of Entering a Super-Aged Society

Jongno-gu Mayor Kim Young-jong is taking a commemorative photo on Tuesday, the 22nd, to celebrate the 'WHO Age-friendly City Certification.'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) announced that it has obtained the ‘Age-friendly City’ certification from the World Health Organization (WHO), and will accelerate efforts to create a community where all generations can live safely and comfortably without inconvenience.

Through this certification, the district has been internationally recognized for having established strategies and foundations in the eight key areas required for an age-friendly city as proposed by WHO: ▲external environment and facilities ▲convenience of transportation ▲stability of residential environment ▲utilization of human resources ▲leisure and social activities ▲respect and social integration ▲communication and information ▲medical and community care.

As of November 2020, the number of seniors aged 65 and over in Jongno-gu was 28,285, accounting for approximately 18.9% of the total population.

The UN classifies societies with an elderly population ratio exceeding 7% as aging societies, over 14% as aged societies, and over 20% as super-aged societies. At the current rate of increase, Jongno-gu is expected to enter a super-aged society faster than the Statistics Korea forecast of 2026.

In response to this situation, Jongno-gu has been steadily preparing to join the international network by establishing a legal framework through the formulation and promulgation of a basic plan and ordinance for creating an age-friendly city since last year, and by forming an Age-friendly City Creation Committee and a Generation Empathy Monitoring Group.

Since early this year, a research project has been conducted over approximately five months, resulting in the establishment of a three-year action plan.

Building on this certification, in 2021, the district plans to focus on seniors’ economic independence and psychological and emotional support, moving beyond the existing care-centered approach to implement senior welfare policies that reflect their needs and desires.

Additionally, through an organizational restructuring effective January 1 next year, a new Senior and Family Division responsible for related policies is being prepared.

Meanwhile, although Jongno-gu originally planned to hold a proclamation ceremony following the certification acquisition on October 22, the event was replaced with a commemorative photo session on the 22nd due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and compliance with social distancing measures.

District Mayor Kim Young-jong emphasized, “I am very pleased that our efforts to join the age-friendly city network have borne fruit with this certification. We will continue to build cooperative systems with domestic and international member cities and share various measures to address aging and urbanization issues,” adding, “We will always listen carefully to the opinions of our residents and do our best to create a community where all generations can live their entire lives without inconvenience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.