The ongoing move by some elderly Koreans to form a labor union should make us reflect on whether our society is making proper preparations for challenges posed by a rapidly increasing number of aged people.
About 200 senior citizens gathered this week to launch a preparatory group for the envisioned union.
Organizers said they hoped to establish the union by October, which would encompass jobless seniors as well as aged employees. They said the union would seek to negotiate with the government on expanding job opportunities and strengthening support for the elderly.
It has yet to be seen whether their plan is achieved as they wish. Employment and Labor Ministry officials have pointed out that unemployed people are not entitled to become trade union members and if the union is to be launched with senior employees, it should talk with their respective employers, not the government.
The move, which is led by some progressive figures, could also be suspected of being motivated to counterbalance conservative senior groups, which have been raising voices in the politically sensitive period ahead of the December presidential election.
But behind the partially problematic push are the deteriorating conditions gripping most elderly Koreans, which should be put under more spotlight. Politicians and government policymakers should recognize that senior citizens are set to be more active and organized in seeking solutions to their problems.
The proportion of people aged 65 or above, which stood at 11.3 percent of the entire population in 2010, is expected to increase to 14 percent in 2017 and 20.8 percent in 2026.
The proportion of poor elderly, whose income is less than the national median average, is 45 percent, the highest level among 34 member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Pensions received by elderly Koreans account for merely 45 percent of their pre-retirement payments, with the proportion ranking 28th in the OECD.
Amid the economic hardship often exacerbated by their jobless children, senior citizens are driven into working long after retirement. OECD statistics released this week showed the employment rate of older Korean workers aged 55-64 stood at 63.2 percent, far above the OECD average at 55.1 percent.
It would be unwise to wait for senior voices to boil over before tackling work to ease their difficulties. The move toward forming an elderly union could be a sign of aged people no longer being a muffled constituency.
