The elderly population in Jeollanam-do comprising about 25% of its total population of 1.8 million. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
MUAN, Feb. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In Seoul, Park Jae-jin (a pseudonym), a professional is his 50s, feels uneasy every time he talks to his mother living alone in Damyang, South Jeolla Province.
His mother, despite her advanced age and health issues, including surgeries on both knees and back problems, volunteers to prepare meals for her fellow seniors at the local community center.
This task, often referred to as being on “rice duty,” is particularly distressing for Park as his mother is among the youngest in a group of seniors mostly in their late 80s and 90s.
Despite Park’s pleas for his mother to eat at home and avoid the strenuous task, she insists on continuing due to her long-standing relationships with the other seniors and the lack of other volunteers.
This phenomenon is not isolated. Many seniors in their 70s and 80s take on the role of preparing meals at community centers, highlighting the growing shadow of an aging society in rural areas.
Jeollanam-do had 9,233 community centers as of December last year, supported by a combination of national, provincial, and municipal funds totaling 3.7 billion won for rice subsidies and 14.2 billion won for operational costs.
Despite this funding, there’s no budget allocated for labor costs related to meal services, leaving the elderly to fend for themselves.
A Damyang County official acknowledged the challenges, especially for the oldest seniors who primarily use these centers. Experts and local government officials recognize the need to adapt the support system to the realities of an aging society, suggesting solutions like mobile meal services (“meal trucks”) and assessing the situation to devise policy alternatives.
With the elderly population in Jeollanam-do comprising about 25% of its total population of 1.8 million, and expected to rise due to low birth rates and aging, the urgency for sustainable and practical support systems for the elderly is becoming increasingly clear.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
