Seoul City to Invest 1.4433 Trillion KRW by 2025 in 29 Projects Across 4 Areas in 'Comprehensive Senior Welfare Plan'

Discovering 100,000 Public and Private Jobs for Working Seniors, Launch of 'Senior Internship Program' by Participating Organizations
Expanding Dementia-Specific Daycare Centers from 18 to 26, Establishing 4 Regional Elder Abuse Prevention 'Senior Protection Centers'
Expanding Free Wi-Fi to 750 Senior Centers, Creating Priority Parking Spaces for Seniors and New Senior Parks

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ahead of ‘Senior Citizens Day,’ Seoul City plans to invest over 1.4 trillion KRW in a comprehensive ‘Senior Welfare Plan’ to prepare for a ‘super-aged society’ where the population aged 65 and older exceeds 20% of the total population.

According to Seoul City on the 30th, as of July, the senior population aged 65 and above in Seoul stands at 1,573,000, accounting for 16.5% of the city’s total population. By 2025, this number is expected to reach 1,862,000, or 19.9%, marking the entry into a super-aged society. Seoul plans to invest 1.4433 trillion KRW to implement 29 projects across four sectors. The core focuses include creating jobs for stable retirement, establishing a safe and healthy integrated care system, promoting vibrant leisure culture and social participation, and improving senior-friendly environments.

First, Seoul will establish the city’s first dedicated senior employment support center, the ‘Seoul Senior Employment Support Center,’ which connects public and private jobs so that anyone who wishes can work and spend their senior years actively. The city will also launch a ‘Senior Internship Program’ through investment-funded institutions. By 2025, Seoul aims to expand senior jobs by more than 100,000. Additionally, the number of ‘Dementia-Specific Daycare Centers,’ addressing dementia affecting one in ten seniors, will increase from 18 to 26 by 2025. The ‘Senior Protection Specialized Institutions’ for preventing elder abuse will be organized into four regional systems.

To activate seniors’ leisure activities and social participation, the ‘Seoul Senior Plaza,’ a complex space, will be constructed by 2025. With digital devices like smartphones and kiosks becoming common in daily life, Seoul plans to enhance seniors’ digital accessibility by expanding free Wi-Fi currently installed in 138 senior centers to 750 locations by 2025.

Seoul will also focus on creating a senior-friendly environment. Seven additional public nursing facilities, which are in high demand among seniors, will be added by 2025. ‘Senior Priority Parking Spaces,’ such as those for the disabled and women, will be newly established in public facilities. ‘Senior Parks’ will be newly created by utilizing leftover spaces. These parks will be equipped with dedicated equipment suitable for seniors with declining physical functions, such as stair climbing, and will be installed in every autonomous district by 2025. In particular, care services for seniors with chronic diseases requiring constant care will be expanded through daycare centers, while the ‘Senior Protection Specialized Institutions’ will be organized into four regional support systems to prevent elder abuse.

Considering that preference for public leisure facilities like welfare centers and senior centers increases with age, Seoul will expand leisure culture infrastructure so seniors can enjoy sufficient leisure activities near their residences. This includes building the ‘Seoul Senior Plaza’ and expanding free Wi-Fi installation in senior centers.

Furthermore, to create a senior-friendly environment, Seoul will continue to expand public nursing facilities in high demand among seniors. It will also newly establish ‘Senior Priority Parking Spaces’ in public facilities and ‘Senior Parks’ in leftover spaces, designed with seniors’ physical characteristics in mind, and expand ‘Senior Protection Zones’ similar to school zones.

Meanwhile, Seoul plans to increase the number of public nursing facilities from the current 33 to 40 by 2025. The Mapo Silver Care Center is scheduled for completion by the end of this year, followed by the Gangdong Silver Care Center in 2022. Additionally, Seoul will secure more nursing facilities through public contributions from large-scale development sites and the integration of living SOC (Social Overhead Capital) complex projects.

On the same day, Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended the Senior Citizens Day ceremony held at the Catertle (formerly Geogujang) in Mapo-gu, hosted by the Korea Senior Citizens Association Seoul Branch, where he awarded commendations to exemplary seniors and contributors. A total of 45 people were honored, including 24 exemplary seniors who practiced service and sharing for local seniors, 21 contributors to senior welfare, and one contributor to funeral culture development.

Kim Yeon-ju, Director of Seoul Senior Welfare Division, said, "Seoul will steadily implement the comprehensive senior welfare plan to respond to the rapidly changing welfare environment, including the advent of a super-aged society and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. We will spare no effort in continuous attention and policy consideration across all areas such as jobs, health, social participation, and safety to enhance seniors’ life satisfaction and reduce inconveniences in their daily lives and overall living."

In his remarks at the Senior Citizens Day ceremony, Mayor Oh said, "We will continuously consider whether seniors experience any inconveniences in their daily surroundings and cooperate across various Seoul city departments to steadily promote a total of 29 projects in four areas?jobs, care, leisure, and senior-friendly environments?from this year through 2025."

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