Foreign Pest Inspection, Illegal Drone Monitoring... 17 Outstanding Projects Chosen for the 'Senior Competency Utilization Leading Model'

Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces Evaluation Results
Nine Established Models and Eight New Initiatives Selected

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has finalized the selection of 17 outstanding projects for its “Senior Competency Utilization Leading Model,” which aims to create jobs by linking the specialized careers of the elderly with social value. These projects have been recognized for successfully integrating the skilled experience of the new senior generation into public service sectors such as security and disease control, including roles like foreign pest inspection and illegal drone monitoring near airports.

On the 17th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it selected the 17 best models by thoroughly reviewing all 150 leading model projects, evaluating job quality, contributions to the local community, and scalability. Nine projects that have been stably established in the field as “continuing projects” and eight “new projects” that presented novel solutions to social issues were selected, respectively.

In the continuing project category, Incheon’s “Senior Ship Inspector” project won the grand prize. First introduced in 2024, this project has leveraged retired professionals to serve as quarantine officers, blocking the inflow of foreign pests into overseas vessels and imported containers. Since its implementation, the amount of external resources procured has increased by 181%, and the number of jobs created has surged by 268.3% (from 41 in 2024 to 110 in 2025), earning recognition for its remarkable achievements. The top excellence awards went to Gangwon’s “Silver Tomorrow Village Repairman,” which assists with facility repairs for vulnerable households, and the Gwangjeon region’s “Radio Station Inspection and Electromagnetic Wave Intensity Measurement” project.

In the newly launched project category, the “Senior Airport Safety Illegal Drone Monitoring Team,” a collaboration with Jeju Island and Korea Airports Corporation, took the grand prize. Having proven its effectiveness in addressing security blind spots in aviation, the program has now expanded to five airports nationwide—Gimpo, Gimhae, Yeosu, Pohang, and Jeju—with a total of 150 participants. Following this, the “Agriculture ON Senior Farming Doctor” project, which provides farming consulting by retired agriculturalists, and BMC’s (Busan Metropolitan Corporation) support service for solitary seniors in rental apartments, including care and waste separation assistance, each received top excellence awards.

To honor the contributions of the organizations involved in these outstanding projects, the Ministry of Health and Welfare will present a total of 20 awards, including 11 from the Minister of Health and Welfare and 9 from the President of the Korea Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged. The award ceremony will be held during the “2026 Senior Employment Week Commemoration Ceremony” in September.

Lim Eulgi, Senior Policy Officer for Elderly Affairs at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, “The selected exemplary models have proven that the wealth of experience and expertise possessed by the new senior generation can be an invaluable asset in solving the challenges facing local communities,” adding, “We will continue to strengthen the program so that seniors’ skills can be translated into high-quality social services.”

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