Kang Ki-jung: "I Will Breathe 'Saengsaengjirak' into the Lives of the Elderly"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Kang Ki-jung, the Democratic Party of Korea's preliminary candidate for mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City, announced on the 22nd, "I will bring 'Saengsaengjirak' to the lives of the elderly for their second prime."

Candidate Kang emphasized, "I will recharge new changes and vitality to the incoming new senior generation and create an elder-friendly city and a city of service through a new concept of restructuring for the elderly."

To this end, he announced pledges including ▲public-private cooperative 'Gwangju-daum Integrated Care Center' ▲expansion of senior centers into village welfare halls ▲free education for elderly at elementary, middle, and high school levels ▲improvement in the quality of free meals for seniors aged 60 and over ▲denture and hearing aid compensation system ▲expansion of senior club functions ▲happy companionship for elderly living alone ▲and improvement of care worker treatment.

Currently, the fragmented system centered on service providers such as the Social Service Agency, Community Social Security Council, National Health Insurance Corporation, and Housing Welfare Center will be reorganized, and a public-private cooperative 'Gwangju-daum Integrated Care Center' (hereafter Gwangju-daum Center) will be established.

The 'Gwangju-daum Center' will significantly strengthen service functions such as counseling for integrated care workers' work difficulties, capacity-building education, home counseling, AI-based smart care services, hospital accompaniment services, care taxis, and home health and medical services.

The senior centers, which have served as the capillaries of the village, will be expanded and reorganized into village welfare halls, and senior center activists will be trained and deployed to frontline sites.

Furthermore, the unit price for free meals for the elderly will be raised from the current 3,000 won to over 4,000 won, and a compensation system for hearing aids lost or damaged will be promoted through 2+1 half-price support involving local implant manufacturers, universities, dental hospitals, ESG management ratings, and cooperation incentives.

In addition, to provide opportunities for elderly to complete formal education and lifelong learning, free education at elementary, middle, and high school levels will be linked and the lifelong education system strengthened, while the functions and roles of senior clubs will also be expanded.

For elderly living alone, a happy companionship project will be promoted to strengthen social safety nets and support systems such as community care housing creation, hospital safe accompaniment services, lunch companionship, and low-interest loans.

Candidate Kang said, "We must create the joy of Saengsaengjirak so that the elderly who have made Gwangju's history can spend a healthy and happy old age," adding, "I will carry out administration to ensure that the wisdom and experience of the elderly accumulate as social value, and that everyone is respected and guaranteed a healthy life."

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