Seoul to Invest 3.4 Trillion Won for 'Super-Aged Society' Response, Including Jobs and Housing

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide 330,000 public and private jobs for seniors and build 23,000 senior housing units by 2040. The city also plans to invest 3.4 trillion won by 2030 to launch a comprehensive support initiative for a stable retirement for the elderly.

On the morning of the 26th, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon announced the comprehensive plan for responding to the super-aged society, the "9988 Seoul Project," at Seoul City Hall.

Key points of the comprehensive plan for responding to the super-aged society, "9988 Seoul Project," announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 26th. Seoul Metropolitan Government

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The support measures, which focus on four main areas?strengthening community-based care and health systems, ensuring economically stable retirement, promoting social participation and leisure/cultural activities for seniors, and creating an age-friendly urban environment?have been prepared in anticipation of Seoul entering a super-aged society in July. Typically, a society is classified as super-aged when the proportion of people aged 65 and older exceeds 20% of the total population.

The comprehensive support plan will be operated as a mid- to long-term initiative until 2040, when one in three Seoul residents will be aged 65 or older. Starting with 490 billion won next year, a total of 3.4 trillion won will be invested over five years by 2030.

First, public and private sectors will work together to significantly expand senior care facilities. When constructing apartment complexes through redevelopment or reconstruction, the city will prioritize securing Silver and Daycare Centers as public contributions. The plan is to establish 85 such centers by 2040. The city will also support the conversion and operation of daycare centers for children, which are at risk of closure due to declining birth rates, into Silver and Daycare Centers by providing project funding and tailored consulting for construction and licensing. Starting with 15 centers next year, a total of 140 centers will be built by 2040. For seniors with severe dementia who have difficulty living alone, the city will establish and operate two Daycare Centers per district, totaling 50 centers by 2040.

The city will also launch the "Seoul-type Integrated Care Service," which systematically supports seniors in five key areas?healthcare, health, nursing care, daily care, and housing?through a single application process tailored to individual needs. To this end, seven "Integrated Care Support Centers" will be piloted this year.

Measures have also been prepared to ensure "economically stable retirement," which has become increasingly important as life expectancy rises. The city will not only provide public jobs but also connect seniors to private sector jobs, enabling economic independence and continued social participation. In the first phase, 300,000 public jobs?equivalent to 10% of Seoul's senior population?will be created by 2040. For private sector jobs, the city will support up to 60 million won per company to improve working conditions for businesses that hire seniors, aiming to create 30,000 private jobs.

Education programs have also been developed. Through the "Senior Employment Academy," which offers customized job training and employment programs to help seniors design their second careers, the city aims to help 30,000 seniors find employment by 2040. The city will also operate a separate job-matching system called the "Senior Talent Bank."

The city will also begin supplying housing, which plays a crucial role in retirement life. By offering incentives such as increased floor area ratios, the city aims to boost private sector participation. The core of the plan includes 7,000 "private senior housing units," 1,000 "public-private partnership senior housing units" utilizing city-owned land, and 5,000 "three-generation senior housing units" designed for independent living by generation. For 10,000 senior households (cumulative), the city will also support home renovations that reflect the needs of seniors, such as removing door thresholds.

To assist seniors unfamiliar with digital devices, the city will develop the "Donghaeng Ondacall Taxi," a service allowing seniors to request taxi dispatches by phone, with a target of about 10,000 calls per day. The "Seoul Donghaeng Map," a navigation app tailored for transportation-vulnerable groups, will also be revamped to be more senior-friendly, including simplified functions and voice recognition.

In addition, the city will strengthen support for cultural activities to expand social participation among seniors. By utilizing closed schools and underused city-owned land, the city will establish one complex leisure and cultural space per hub, totaling five by 2040, and expand the lifelong education program "7th Grade Classroom." The number of students, which was 200 this year, will be increased to 21,000 by 2040. The plan also includes expanding the number of park golf courses from the current 33 to 150 by 2040. Mayor Oh stated, "A comfortable retirement for seniors is our future. As we stand on the verge of entering a super-aged society, we will strive to ensure that seniors receive systematic community care and continue to live healthy and dignified lives, so that all Seoul citizens can remain vibrant until the age of 99."

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