Age of senior citizenship

[Anchor]

We continue our coverage on the super-aged society.

As aging progresses rapidly, there have been consistent calls to raise the legal age for senior citizens from the current 65.

However, there are concerns that raising the senior citizen age may reduce welfare benefits.

Reporter Hong Seong-hee has the story.

[Report]

In a workshop of a senior club that provides jobs for the elderly, the seniors are folding shopping bags.

According to the current senior welfare law, a senior is defined as someone aged 65 and older, but the seniors themselves have a different perspective.

[Lee Boo-hyun/65 years old: "I turned 65, but being called a senior feels very strange. It doesn't resonate with me..."]

In a government survey, seniors themselves considered the senior age to start at 71.6 years.

The president of the Korean Senior Citizens Association has directly proposed to the government to raise the senior citizen age to 75.

If the age remains at 65, the proportion of seniors will increase, leading to a situation where "the working-age population must focus solely on senior welfare."

In a super-aged society, the elderly dependency ratio is expected to rise every year, and by 2050, 100 working-age individuals will need to support 78 seniors.

[Lee Gi-il/First Vice Minister of Health and Welfare/Jan. 8: "With the emergence of 'active seniors' who are socially active, societal perceptions of the starting age of identifying as senior citizens are changing significantly."]

However, there are also significant concerns that raising the senior citizen age will reduce welfare benefits.

This is because over 20 welfare benefits, including free subway rides, free vaccinations, senior jobs, and basic pensions, are currently provided starting at age 65.

[Jo Kyung-cheol/73 years old: "If the senior age is extended, I think that the retirement age should also be extended. If they force retirement, it would be a loss for the country as well."]

In South Korea, the elderly poverty rate is 38%, one of the highest among OECD countries, and only one in two seniors receives national pension.

[Oh Geon-ho/Chairman of the Policy Committee 'Welfare State I Create': "After the spur of establishing labor markets and care systems, as a result, it seems necessary to raise the senior citizen age."]

Experts point out that the senior citizen age should be gradually raised, considering income levels and welfare benefits from a long-term perspective.

This is KBS News, Hong Seong-hee.