Despite public support, Korea struggles to raise age threshold for seniors’ free subway rides
As Seoul pushes to raise the eligibility age for free subway rides from 65 to 70, calls are growing to extend the change across the broader range of social benefits provided to older citizens to reflect the demographic reality of a “superaged society,” in which more than 20 percent of the population is 65 or older. But the threshold is tightly bound up with a host of other policies, including the statutory retirement age, making it increasingly difficult for the Korean government to revise a definition of old age written into law decades ago. Under the Welfare of Senior Citizens Act, people aged 65 and older receive a range of benefits, including free rides on subways nationwide and free admission to national parks, museums, galleries and historic palaces. They are also entitled to a 30 percent discount on rail services such as the KTX. Various welfare programs introduced later, including the basic pension and long-term care insurance, followed suit by setting their eligibility threshold at 65. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Sunday, that age standard has remained
