Tag: aging population

aging population

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This file image, captured from the pro-North Korean Choson Sinbo on Oct. 15, 2024, shows North Korean older adults enjoying time at a health center. [YONHAP]

North increases office worker retirement age by 3 years amid aging population

North Korea has raised the mandatory retirement age for office workers by three years to reflect the country's population aging and demographic changes, according to a North Korean academic paper Wednesday.

2026.5.13

A funeral procession waits outside the crematorium at Youngrak Park in Gwangju on March 16, 2022. [YONHAP]

Korea faces shortages of crematoriums, older care facilities as society ages, warns BOK

Korea faces growing shortages in cremation and older care capacity as the country enters a super-aged society, with supply failing to keep pace with demand in major urban areas, the Bank of Korea said Tuesday.

2026.2.10

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People in heavy winter clothing walk through Gwanghwamun Intersection in central Seoul on Nov. 26. [NEWS1]

Number of single-person households tops 8 million in 2024: Data

The number of single-person households has climbed to a record high of over 8 million, data showed Sunday, with estimates suggesting the trend will continue as the country grapples with a stagnant birthrate and an aging population.

2025.11.30

Pedestrians cross a crosswalk in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on July 17. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Korea has a higher life expectancy than its OECD peers — but also the highest suicide rate

Korea has a high life expectancy, but also the highest suicide rate among Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Health care spending is also rising.

2025.7.31

Doctors protest the government plan to expand medical school admissions before the People Power Party's office in Ulsan on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Doctors rally nationwide against medical school quota hike

Doctors nationwide rallied against the government plan to expand medical school admissions on Thursday. “The plan is a populist policy that has been haphazardly put together to win votes in the general election,” said a doctor in a rally joined...

2024.2.15

Empty wheelchairs sit at a university hospital in Seoul on Monday. Doctors have warned of going on strike later this week to protest the government's plan to expand medical school admissions. [YONHAP]

Mass medical strike looms as doctors, government fail to make progress

Doctors in Korea are set to hold a strike over the government's plans to expand medical school admissions and establish a public medical school. The strike, planned for later this week, has sparked a contentious debate.

2024.2.12

[AI IN ACTION] Can AI rescue Korea's aging society from the abyss?

Can AI save Korea from extinction? It’s an extreme question, but one that some economists and policymakers are grappling with in a high-tech country with the fastest aging population and the lowest birthrate in the world...

2023.11.12

Bus fares will rise at least 300 won ($0.22) starting this Saturday. This file photo dated July 13 shows passengers getting on buses near Seoul Station. [NEWS1]

Seoul bus fares to rise from Saturday as transportation companies struggle

Bus fares in Seoul will rise at least 300 won ($0.22) starting this Saturday, marking the first hike in eight years. The single adult bus fare will rise from 1,200 won to 1,500 won for green and blue buses that run within the city.

2023.8.10

A senior care hospital in Gumi, North Gyeongsang, celebrates Parent's Day on Monday. [NEWS1]

Functional health foods targeting older adults are becoming hot commodity

Korean food companies are diving into the so-called care food market in the era of the aging population. Care foods are marketed as foods for older adults that are healthy and easy to digest.

2023.5.11

A wedding hall in the southwestern city of Gwangju [YONHAP]

Fewer babies, aging population cause many business owners to pivot

Low birth rates and the aging population are changing the topography of self-employed businesses. Sectors that target relatively young populations are declining while those targeting older populations are on the rise.

2023.3.6