[Interview] Kim Mikyung, Eunpyeong District Mayor, "Leading the Aging Era by Creating Quality Senior Jobs"

4783 Elderly Job Participants in Seoul Districts... Eunpyeong Senior Club Selected as Excellent Elderly Job Institution for 8 Consecutive Years... Local Specialty 'Kkwabaegi Nara' and Upcycling 'The Dooul' Successful Elderly Job Projects

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “In the new year of the Year of the Black Tiger, we will strive to make the senior job projects in Eunpyeong-gu significantly develop in both quantity and quality.”

This is the commitment expressed by Kim Mi-kyung, the Mayor of Eunpyeong-gu, in an interview with our newspaper as she enters the final year of the 7th elected term.

Eunpyeong-gu is a city with a large elderly population. As of the end of last year, the population aged 65 and over was 86,864, ranking fourth among Seoul’s autonomous districts. The elderly ratio has been increasing annually from 15.28% in 2017 to 18.35%.

Mayor Kim stated, “Although the number of seniors willing to work is increasing, there is a shortage of senior jobs. Supporting the successful second act of life for the elderly is also my responsibility as the head of the district administration.”

At the end of last year, Eunpyeong-gu had the highest number of senior job participants among Seoul’s autonomous districts, with 4,783 people. This year, the total number of seniors wishing to participate in job projects is 6,043, an increase of 640 from last year.

Mayor Kim emphasized, “Senior job projects are representative elderly welfare policies that respond to the complex problems faced by the elderly by providing additional income generation and opportunities to participate in social activities.”

She pointed to the Eunpyeong Senior Club as a model institution dedicated to senior jobs.

The Eunpyeong Senior Club, opened in 2012, operates as a dedicated institution for senior jobs. It creates and provides senior jobs by utilizing professional personnel and local resources. Currently, 1,700 seniors participate in 36 projects, actively engaging in various activities.

The club’s awards are also impressive. The Eunpyeong Senior Club has been selected as an excellent institution for eight consecutive years in the evaluation of senior job project executing organizations jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Senior Human Resources Development Institute. Recently, it even received the Seoul Mayor’s Award, solidifying its position as an outstanding senior job institution.

On the 11th of last month, Lim Seo-jung, Senior Secretary for Jobs at the Blue House, visited the Eunpyeong Senior Club to gather field opinions on senior job projects and encourage participants.

Mayor Kim said, “Through support for the operation of the Eunpyeong Senior Club, we plan to improve employment stability for seniors by developing market-type jobs for the silver generation.”

Senior jobs nationwide are mostly public-type. Mayor Kim stated, “We plan to expand senior jobs into private-type in the future. The goal is to create sustainable jobs suitable for seniors, such as small-scale stores or specialized professional businesses.” She added, “Generating additional business revenue will reduce project costs and also revitalize the local economy.”

Mayor Kim introduced ‘Kkwabaegi Nara’ as a successful private-type business. ‘Kkwabaegi Nara,’ operated by the Eunpyeong Senior Club, is a donut shop that has become a local specialty in Eunpyeong-gu after eight years of operation. Not only is the taste good, but the concept of seniors providing safe food with quality ingredients has spread, making it popular as snacks for neighborhood residents, kindergartens, and daycare centers. Currently, a second branch is also open and operating.

Other projects include ‘The Dooul,’ an upcycling business that helps the resource circulation economy, and an ice pack reuse project.

‘The Dooul’ is an upcycling project that transforms old clothes into new eco-bags and other products. Recently, Jeungsan Elementary School placed a bulk order for 615 student shoe bags. This served as a good opportunity to instill positive awareness of resource reuse among students.

Starting this year, a hygiene kit delivery project linked to senior jobs for home treatment patients has also begun. It improved from the previous home treatment team’s self-delivery to same-day immediate delivery. This is praised for efficiently managing COVID-19 home treatment patients while also helping create senior jobs.

In April last year, the Eunpyeong Senior Job Center was opened. It provides job counseling, employment placement, job training, and employment support promotion for seniors aged 60 and over. Mayor Kim said, “We expect more roles from the Eunpyeong Senior Job Center. It will serve as a bridge connecting employers and job seekers by nurturing capable senior personnel through education and training.”

Through job linkage and building employment support networks, the plan is to make it a hub for senior jobs together with the Eunpyeong Senior Club.

Mayor Kim emphasized, “Senior jobs greatly improve the quality of life for the elderly. Enhancing the quality of life for seniors will invigorate the entire Eunpyeong society.” She also said, “During the remaining term, we will gradually expand high-quality jobs suitable for seniors. We will make Eunpyeong a senior job-centered city standing tall like a black tiger.”

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