Author(s) :

Eugene Choi.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

South Korea is on the path to becoming a super-aged society, with a rapidly growing elderly population. This population shift has created significant social challenges, such as high poverty rates among the elderly and increasing economic pressures on the younger generation. In 2023, the poverty rate for elderly households in South Korea was 43.4%, which is significantly higher than the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. Consequently, the Korean government has launched various programs to support elderly employment, focusing primarily on social service-type employment programs. However, despite their expansion, these programs face significant challenges: limited differentiation from public service roles and a lack of innovation. Using a comparative case approach, this review examines the current status of South Korea’s program, benchmarks it against international models from the U.S., U.K., Japan, and Australia, and proposes a step-by-step policy roadmap for improvement.