일터로 내몰리는 백발의 대한민국: ‘초고령 사회’가 마주한 생존의 기록 > K-wave Trends

According to recent statistics, the number of employed people over the age of 70 has surpassed 2 million for the first time in history, showing a steep upward curve. This is an increase of approximately 1.8 times compared to six years ago and is the highest level since related statistics were compiled. What is especially noteworthy is the fact that the number of employed people over 60 has surpassed the number of employed people in their 50s for the first time in history, which suggests that the waist of our labor market is completely shifting from the middle-aged to the elderly. The superficial cause of this phenomenon is increased motivation for economic activity due to increased life expectancy and improved health levels. However, experts warn that we must never overlook the shadow of structural poverty hidden behind the natural trends of demographic change.

Behind the increase in elderly employment lies the heavy reality of ‘elderly poverty rate,’ which ranks overwhelmingly first among OECD member countries. Korea's income poverty rate among seniors aged 66 and older reaches 39.7%, which is well over twice the OECD average of 14.8%. Many seniors are unable to leave the labor market even after retirement, not by voluntary choice, but to earn living expenses. In particular, in the Gyeongbuk region, which has a high proportion of agriculture and fishing, the aging labor market is directly linked to the survival of the local economy, with one in three employed people being over 60 years old. This structural phenomenon, coupled with the outflow of young people and aging, is not simply a problem for individual households, but is becoming a signal that threatens the sustainability of the entire community.

Aging is causing seismic changes not only in the labor market but also in the medical system. Looking at the statistics on frequent diseases recently released by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we can see the enormous impact that geriatric diseases have on health insurance finances. ‘Senior cataracts,’ which cause deterioration in vision, rank first in the number of hospitalized patients and generate medical expenses worth hundreds of billions of won every year, while Alzheimer’s dementia ranks first, accounting for close to 2 trillion won in hospitalization medical expenses. With the number of dementia patients expected to exceed 1 million this year, the increase in geriatric diseases clearly shows that the burden of medical costs in an aging society will soon become a key variable affecting the stability of national finances.

In order to overcome this crisis, the government began discussing in earnest a plan to reform the basic pension system into a ‘low-end, low-end system.’ The current basic pension system pays the same amount to a certain percentage of the elderly regardless of income level, which is causing financial overload due to rapid aging. Experts suggest that the criteria for selecting recipients be more refined and that more benefits be focused on low-income seniors who really need help. However, there are also great concerns that the basic pension reform should not degenerate into a simple reduction in the size of beneficiaries to save the budget. This is a time when sophisticated policy tricks are needed to improve the rationality of the system while protecting the elderly near the poverty line.

Even in the private sector, new business models targeting the aging market are emerging one after another. A representative example is a food material distribution company and a care platform collaborating to build a business model that combines customized diet plans for seniors and life-oriented services. This means that aging is not simply an object of expenditure, but can become a growth industry combining new services and technologies. However, these private efforts alone are not enough to solve the fundamental challenges of poverty and health problems. Ultimately, Korea, which has entered a super-aging society, must urgently establish a population strategy that integrates labor, housing, care, and medical policies.