South Korea faces urgent need for 'super-aged' and 'multicultural' infrastructure

South Korea is navigating a profound demographic transformation, officially entering the "super-aged" society category as the proportion of citizens aged 65 and above surpassed 20% last year. Simultaneously, the nation is inching closer to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) benchmark for a "multi-ethnic and multicultural" country, with foreign residents now accounting for 4.1% of the total population.

This dual shift, occurring at an unprecedented speed, presents significant challenges. The working-age population (15-64) has fallen below 70%, placing a strain on the economy. The growing number of foreign residents, totaling 2.11 million, are filling this gap. The country must now establish new institutional infrastructure and foster a more inclusive culture to mitigate potential conflicts arising from these rapid changes.

Critical issues demand immediate attention. The burden of elder care is substantial, with many elderly individuals caring for even older relatives, a phenomenon known as 'no-no care.' The baby boomer generation faces the dual responsibility of supporting both their parents and children, with uncertainty about their own future care. There is an urgent need to expand elder-friendly infrastructure, including housing, healthcare, and transportation. Addressing elderly poverty and creating more employment opportunities for seniors, such as flexible re-hiring after retirement, are also paramount.

Furthermore, the concentration of the population in the Seoul metropolitan area, which accounts for 50.9% of residents despite occupying only 11.8% of the land, exacerbates regional disparities and the risk of local extinction. Local governments must take proactive steps to attract industries and jobs, and secure essential services like healthcare, rather than solely relying on central government support. Schools in rural areas are seeing a rapid increase in students from multicultural backgrounds, necessitating support systems to help immigrant children overcome language barriers and discrimination, enabling them to grow into future talents.

The rise of single-person households, particularly in Seoul where they constitute 40.5% of all households, is also reshaping housing demand. The current focus on larger apartments designed for families of three or more is mismatched with this trend. South Korea needs to adapt by increasing the supply of high-quality, smaller housing units suitable for one and two-person households, reflecting the evolving structure of its society.