[Insight & Opinion] We Must Develop Strategies to Utilize the Elderly Generation

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As news of car accidents caused by drivers in their 70s continues to surface, the issue of elderly driving has become a social concern. The media and political circles are leading public opinion, pushing for a ban on elderly drivers. Whenever an incident occurs, instead of seeking reasonable solutions based on objective facts, emotional reactions are suffocating our society.

It is discriminatory to emphasize only drivers in their 70s while not disclosing the ages of drivers from other generations involved in accidents. The increase in accidents involving drivers in their 70s may be due to the growing population of that age group, or perhaps their activity levels have increased compared to before. It is also questionable how these figures compare to other groups such as novice drivers or female drivers.

It is inevitable that cognitive, judgmental, and reaction abilities decline with age. Therefore, measures to closely examine concentration, attention, reflexes, and driving skills are necessary.

However, the idea of banning driving stems from the perception that the elderly over 70 are merely consuming social assets like pensions and health insurance. Politicians should at least consider the social impact of restricting their mobility. Laws made in such a manner often end up making life harder for the socially vulnerable, despite being intended to protect and support them. Emotionally driven laws and systems do not solve social problems but rather make them more difficult.

There are many artists such as singers, actors, and painters, as well as doctors, professors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and even workers and self-employed individuals who remain active well beyond the age of 70, maintaining clear minds and physical health comparable to younger people. It is infuriating to think about restricting their activities.

Those over 70 were born during the most difficult periods of modern Korean history, including the late Japanese occupation, the liberation era, and the Korean War. They shouted "We don't want communists," grew up playing with the hoop?a symbol of the 1988 Olympics?as their favorite toy, resisted dictatorship as young adults, and contributed to the nation as industrial workers.

It is ironic that a generation that resisted dictatorship remembers the achievements of the two dictatorial presidents, Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee. This is likely because they witnessed and participated in the establishment of the Republic of Korea and the process of industrialization. The progress made in a country that once had barely enough to eat is undoubtedly the result of the leaders and people of that era.

Recently, South Korea was announced as the fourth-largest country in the world for asset outflows. Elderly asset holders worried about inheritance are leaving, their children are increasingly emigrating, and the disposal and overseas transfer of businesses they built are also rising.

Instead of viewing the elderly as a burden to society and pushing them away, we must find strategies to utilize their assets, decades of accumulated experience, and capabilities to solve the problems our society faces. They are a unique national asset as a generation that participated in the transformation from one of the poorest countries to an advanced nation.

Kim Hong-jin, CEO of Work Innovation Lab

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