South Korea is looking into ways to better protect the elderly as the nation becomes an aging society.<br />So it's not surprising to see Seoul hosting the third Asia-Europe Meeting conference on the subject.<br /> Yoon Jung-min reports.<br /> <br /> Like many countries around the world, South Korea's population is aging as birth rates fall and life expectancy increases.<br /><br /> Those above 65-years of age now account for 14-point-3 percent of South Korea's total population.<br />And that figure is projected to reach 41 percent by 2060. <br />A country is classed as a 'post-aged society' when the proportion of over-65s goes above 20 percent.<br /><br />And as society ages, the human rights of seniors is becoming more of a social issue, with many elderly people marginalized from society.<br /><br /> To tackle this, 300 stakeholders from 30 countries gathered in Seoul for the third ASEM Conference on “Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons".<br /><br /> "Therefore, this is a reality which imposes us the crucial challenge to rethinking and redefine the way we see, conceptualize and address ageing."<br /><br /> The poverty rate among the elderly in Korea amounted to 46-point-7 percent in 2016, the highest in the OECD, and elderly people often feel isolated socially.<br /><br /> "Especially, the relative poverty rate of the old persons is about 46 percent, the highest among OECD nations. It causes other problems like elder abuse, elder suicide."<br /><br /> The forum emphasized the need to provide more senior jobs or proper subsidies to help elderly people who are economically vulnerable.<br />It also called for more psychological care for those who live alone so that they stay attached to the community.<br /><br /> "The participants at the conference say they will keep working together to stand up for the rights of senior citizens and eliminate discrimination against the elderly.<br />Yoon Jung-min, Arirang News." <br />
