PROJECTION OF SEOUL'S POPULATION

[Anchor Lead]

Seoul used to be a young, vibrant city compared to other regions in Korea. But its population has been found to be ageing rapidly. With more and more people leaving the South Korean capital, its population is expected to fall below ten million as soon as this year.

[Pkg]

​​An instructor explains how to use a smartphone. This class is designed to help people in their 60s or older. Because of its popularity among seniors, the class, which can accommodate 20, is fully booked in no time, and the waiting list always contains around ten people.

[Soundbite] LEE YOUNG-SUN(65/SEOUL RESIDENT) : "People think that if you visit a welfare center, you're old. But it offers a lot of helpful programs."

Due to the speed of population aging, the percentage of Seoulites who are 65 and older keeps growing fast. It surged from just 7.2 percent in 2005 to 14.4 percent late last year, surpassing the threshold of an aged society. If the trend persists, the number of seniors in the capital will likely exceed 20 percent by 2026, making it a super-aged city. While the senior population keeps expanding, the overall population of Seoul is declining steadily and could fall below the ten-million mark by the end of this year. If that happens, its population will shrink to below ten million for the first time in three decades. A key driving factor of this trend is high housing prices, which force more Seoulites to move out of the city.

[Soundbite] LEE WON-MOK(SEOUL CITY GOVERNMENT) : "Most of the citizens who move to Gyeonggi-do Province or other parts of the Seoul metropolitan area do so because of the rising housing prices."

The Seoul City government plans to devise welfare measures for senior citizens to prepare for a super-aged society.