 |
When Olympic hero Sohn Kee-chung carried the flame into the Olympic stadium in Seoul in 1988, South Korea came of age: The Games showcased the country's astonishing growth and also accelerated its democratization.
Now South Korea is coming of age in a different way: old age.
South Korea is one of a cluster of countries that the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) calls "superaged societies." By the 2030s, MHI expects South Korea to have the highest life expectancy in the world. Already, it was 83.5 in 2023, up from 71 in 1988, and just 55 in 1960.
This is, of course, great news. Turning to the flip side of the demographic chart, though, South Korea also has the world's lowest birthrate ― just 0.81 in 2022. That combination means that South Korea is the fastest-aging country in the OECD. This fact brings up a question: How can South Korea make aging healthier? Having successfully added years to life, how can it, as MHI puts it, add "life to years?"
 |
Here are five ways to extend healthy life for South Koreans, while containing medical costs.
Invest in the promotion of healthy aging. At every age, prevention is better than cure. Several studies have found that prevention programs ― both clinical (for example, hearing technology) and nonclinical (for example, housing, social connections, and fitness) ― can improve the quality of life for older adults, and thus reduce the need for medical care. Not all efforts have to do with using medicine: Mental, social and spiritual health are just as critical to the goal of healthy, happy, aging. For example, addressing inactivity and social isolation may help prevent cognitive decline.
Improve data and health measurements. Health is complicated, so no single data set can encompass everything. What can be done, though, is to define a standardized data catalog, and develop it in conjunction with other public bodies, healthcare, academia, and the private sector. The goal: to understand the needs of South Korea's elderly, and to track conditions common to them, such as cognitive decline. With its expertise in IT and general love of technology, South Korea is well-placed to roll out such an effort.
Identify and scale up interventions that support healthy aging. Many of these already exist, such as quitting smoking or getting more exercise, they just are not used by people. In 2020, McKinsey estimated that the amount of time the elderly spend in poor health could be cut by 30 percent solely by applying existing interventions. Think of efforts that engage older adults with children. Programs that promote independence and aging in place are another avenue. South Korea can also look to other fast-aging societies, such as Japan and Singapore, which have created a variety of interesting options, such as multigenerational supportive housing and group homes that bring older people with mobility challenges together in a cluster of rental units.
Accelerate innovation. This means fostering collaboration at the intersection of life sciences, digital, technology and services. The area of particular urgency is dementia treatment. Globally, dementia is the sixth-greatest contributor to disability burden for people over 55 and up, costing $1.3 trillion in 2020. A study of more than 500,000 individuals in the U.K. by Biobank found that exercise, particularly at a vigorous intensity, substantially decreases the risk of developing dementia. Therefore, non-pharmacological approaches should also be applied to encourage the elderly to get physical hobbies such as dancing, chess games, swimming, and running.
Unleash the potential of all industries to enable healthy aging. A few ideas: free rides on public transit after a completed workout; smart-home technology that spots physical or cognitive decline; public provision of leisure services that address the need for social connections; and improving accessibility of phones and tablets.
 |
| gettyimagesbank |
Diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2018, Lim Jong-so began lifting weights. A year later, at age 75, she was successfully competing in body-building competitions against women little more than half her age. "If you challenge yourself to your dreams even after aging," she said, "I believe you will be able to have a great life in your remaining time." That sentence sums up the value of healthy aging.
South Korea has many strengths to draw on ― a solid healthcare system, the example of individuals like Lim, and a cultural tradition of respect for elders. All this is positive, but to add healthy years to South Korea's fast-growing 65-and-up population, there is more to be done.
The writer is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company's London office and a McKinsey Health Institute co-leader.
![[INTERVIEW] North Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/75c261156ac7415fad92dc1d7c1b30cf.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Foreign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/4a6b2bd3d23044d699dee3c5bb956863.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
