Tag: poverty

poverty

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Older people line up to receive a free meal in central Seoul on New Year's Day in 2024. [NEWS1]

'Sandwiched generation' working longer, borrowing more as family and societal support fail

Korean adults not only leave their workplaces later than their peers in other advanced nations but they also work well past the retirement age, even for low compensation, according to a 2025 OECD report on pensions.

2026.5.12

An online post shows a user claiming to be poor while eating instant ramen and kimbap, but posing with a Ferrari car key. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Instant ramyeon with a side dish of Ferrari? The ‘Poverty Challenge’ sparks online outrage.

A so-called “poverty challenge” circulating on social media has drawn criticism for trivializing economic hardship, as users post pictures flaunting their wealth while claiming to suffer from terrible poverty.

2025.12.27

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Older people are lined up at a job fair held at Mapo District Office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Dec. 10. [NEWS1]

Almost 40 percent of Koreans over 65 living below median income line, worst among OECD nations

Four out of 10 older Koreans are living on less than half the country's median income, the highest percentage of any OECD member state, as the rapid growth of Korea's aging society is wearing down the social safety net for people after retirement.

2025.12.26

A 6-year-old girl sits in front of a mini fan after playing with water to fall asleep on a sweltering night. Her mother says she still wakes up at night complaining about the heat. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Brutal heat wave hits low-income, vulnerable households harder

From freezing water bottles to relying on local children's centers, low-income households are suffering exponentially in the brutal heat wave, with far more cases of heat-related illnesses disproportionately affecting the vulnerable population.

2025.7.30

Stock photo of a woman burying her face in her palms on the curb [GETTY IMAGES]

Mother, daughter found dead in suspected suicide with note mentioning financial hardship

A woman in her 60s and her daughter in her 20s were found dead on Sunday, in what police suspect to be suicides in Iksan, North Jeolla.

2025.5.19

Older people wait in line to receive free meals at a soup kitchen near Tapgol Park in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 24, 2024. [YONHAP]

Liquidating assets will help alleviate elderly poverty: BOK chief

Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong called for policies to help older people liquidate their assets, including through reverse mortgages, to alleviate the high rate of elderly poverty.

2025.5.15

A protester holds an Argentine flag outside Congress during weekly demonstrations demanding better pensions for retirees and opposing austerity measures by Javier Milei's government, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 26. [AP/YONHAP]

Argentina reports a drop in poverty under President Milei, but many say life is harder

Argentina's poverty rate dropped to 38.1 percent in libertarian President Javier Milei's first year in office, the nation's official statistics agency reported on Monday.

2025.4.1

Senior Citizens' Day a stark reminder of elderly poverty in Korea

Elderly people stand in line at a soup kitchen set up outside Tapgol Park in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Wednesday, which also marks Senior Citizens' Day in Korea.

2024.10.2

An old woman tows scraps of paper she picked up in the streets to a scrap shop in Jongno District, central Seoul, to sell them at some 70 won ($0.05) per kilogram on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Older adults collecting used paper earn less than a dollar per hour, Health Ministry says

Around 42,000 adults over age 65 are earning less than a dollar per hour by collecting used paper on the streets, the Health Ministry said Thursday.

2023.12.29

Mother given suspended sentence after baby's death

The mother of an eight-month-old infant who died while the mother was out of the house was given a suspended sentence after the court blamed society for "failing to protect socially vulnerable groups."

2023.2.27