Seoul starts '9988 project', providing jobs and care services for elders

15 years from now one out of three residents here in Seoul will be 65 or older.

That being said city officials have set aside a substantial amount of money to better prepare for its super-aged society.

Cha Yun-kyung has more.

Students are attending a lecture about the dangers of accidental falls and ways to prevent them.

The class is a training course for "Safety Instructors," part of a senior job project run by Seoul City.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government supports training expenses, so that the students can work in the private or public sector after completing the course.

"I had taught for 35 years. After retirement, I was wondering if I could still teach something, and I found this course."

In preparation for 2040, when one out of every three citizens becomes 65 or older, the SMG has announced its so-called 9988 Seoul Project.

It provides job opportunities, care services, and residences for elderly people by investing 3-point-4 trillion Korean won, for five years starting from 2026.

Seoul will increase job opportunities for senior citizens, a vocational education program and job search support. By 2040, 2-hundred-25 more elderly and daycare centers will also be created.

"We will make sure that building nursing facilities including daycare is a duty when a new apartment complex with more than 2,000 residents is built."

The city is planning to build more residences and leisure facilities for senior citizens, such as cultural complexes and golf courses.

Cha Yun-kyung, Arirang News.