Growing generational divide threatens aging Korea

An elderly woman carries boxes to a recycling shop in Seongbuk-gu, northeastern Seoul, Saturday. / Korea Times photo by You Soo-sun

By You Soo-sun

Not only is Korean society growing old, its generational divide is also deepening ― isolating the elderly even further. In 2016, over 1.3 million people aged at least 65 were found to be living alone; over 1,000 face death in solitude every year.

Given that it is a country aging fast ― hastened by longer life expectancy and a low birthrate ― the issue is a daunting one.

The problem is aggravated by the growing chasm between the young and old, within and outside families. By 2014, less than 30 percent of the elderly was living with their grown children, a major drop from 55 percent in 1994 when filial duty and financial strains held them closer together.

Instead, the share of single elderly households rose to 33.5 percent by 2016, up from 20 percent in 1990 and it is likely to rise further still.

Isolation, for many, is the most difficult thing to get through and often cited as a major contributor to depression and the rise in suicides among elderly Koreans.

"Letting go of the children is a natural part of life now, but for the elderly it causes a sense of loneliness too big to bear," 60-year-old social welfare worker Lee Hyo-young told The Korea Times.

Lee began work caring for the elderly in Gangdong-gu, eastern Seoul, six years ago. Her job entails checking up on around 30 of the most vulnerable group of elderly in the district, helping them to get by and making sure they are safe.

"The primary goal of the job is to ensure their safety, but of course there are many limitations. It's not like we can follow them around 24 hours a day… still, one visit and two phone calls a week are hardly enough to do the job," Lee said.

Of the many roles, one is to prevent them from dying in solitude, a case in which the deceased body is found at least three days after death. When such an event occurs, she feels gravely responsible.

"This happens a lot during holidays ― that's when it's really difficult for them. They are struck by loneliness, shock, and distress when they do not get any visits," Lee explained.

"One elderly lady sobbed all night long, only to be soothed when I called a day after the holidays. Apparently no one visited her," Lee said.

The people under her care are also those who are remote from their community. Because Lee only takes care of those at risk, they are mostly impoverished, living in a 16-square-meter basement room. Many houses do not have proper heating or sewage systems.

Lee explained that poverty, deterioration of health and isolation feed off each other. Even among those under her care, the ones who receive many visits are also the ones financially better off.

"What I have realized over the years is that the children of the impoverished elderly tend to also struggle financially; the children of the elderly who are financially more stable are also better off and can afford to help them and make more visits."

Deteriorating perception of elderly

The bigger problem may be the widening generational gap pervading society, according to Sung Mi-sun, head of the Gangdong-gu Welfare Center.

"We hear these stories about middle school students cursing the elderly. The perception people have regarding the elderly mostly becomes rigid during adolescence," Sung said.

And this perception is becoming worse, she continued, referring to a survey conducted on 6,653 middle and high school students last year; 57 percent thought the generational conflict was somewhat severe and 16 percent thought it was very severe.

"This happens more often because today's children are not exposed to the elderly as much as previous generations who grew up with a bigger family."

Most, or 31 percent, attributed the problem to differences in the thinking process, while 24 percent cited lack of communication and 14 percent economic problems.

Therefore, Sung believes communication may help close this gap, and that's where she is directing her attention these days.

"We are increasingly focusing on projects designed to engage the elderly with adolescents in the district as a way of improving the perceptions they have about each other. We are trying to create a culture of communication," Sung said.

Sung was optimistic about the project, as participants showed marked changes in perception and behavior.

"It's a society where we all need to cohabitate. We should take more interest, not cut across a line, thinking it is only a problem for the old," she said.

No easy solution

Latest data released by the Statistics Korea showed 14 percent of the population was over the age of 65. This number is expected to reach 41 percent by 2060.

Coupled with this, the increasing individualization of Korean society is putting the elderly at greater risk. Over 30 percent, or 1.3 million of households, are single people ― among those aged over 70, the number is 48 percent.

The government has been rolling out various policies to prevent isolation.

Household visitation and phone call services provided by social workers like Lee are part of these.

Local governments have also come up with innovative ways to counter the problem. Some work with beverage companies whose employees check up on the elderly while delivering drinks. One district, recently, began distributing AI robots to accompany the elderly.

"The question is how will the government continue to cope with the elderly population, which is estimated to quadruple in the next 30 years?" Kim Gyeong-rae, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, asked.

Kim said the government is somewhat managing the elderly population living alone.

But this will only get more difficult with the change of the population makeup.

"There's a huge difference between when the elderly make up 15 percent of the population and when it becomes 30 percent. The burden will inevitably increase, giving to expectation that they need to take on some role to relieve the burden on the younger generation," Kim explained.

"And this is only likely to cause greater generational conflict. It's a very difficult problem that we all need to work together to solve."