Ulsan's "Super-aged Society" is in front of us..."Lack of various jobs, etc."

[Anchor]
At the end of last year, Korea entered a "super-aged society" where one out of every five people is 65 years or older, and the Ulsan region is also on the verge of this.

The number of young people who once flocked is decreasing and the number of the elderly is increasing rapidly.

I'm reporter Ra Kyung-hoon from Ulsan Central Broadcasting Station, JCN.

[Reporter]
The United Nations (UN) categorizes a country as an aged society if the rate of people aged 65 or older exceeds 7%, an aged society if it exceeds 14%, and a super-aged society if it is more than 20%.

Last December, Korea entered a super-aged society.

In the meantime, Ulsan is also facing a super-aged society.

The proportion of the elderly population in Ulsan is 17.1%.

Since entering an aging society in 2010, the elderly population has steadily increased every year, and it is about to enter an ultra-aged society.

On the other hand, the proportion of young and middle-aged people is decreasing year by year, so Ulsan's demographic structure is gradually changing to the center of the elderly.

Some say that Ulsan's super-aging phenomenon is deeply related to the de-Ulsan of young people.

Since Ulsan was designated as a specific industrial district in 1962, many young people have moved to Ulsan in search of jobs.

However, there was also a phenomenon that companies could not keep up with the changes of the times as the industries of companies became fixed after industrialization.

[Dr. Lee Yoon-hyung / Director of Culture and Social Research at Ulsan Research Institute: Diversity is the most common opinion among young people. The workplace also lacks diversity. In other words, except for the manufacturing industry, culture and arts and social sciences lack diversity in the workplace....]

In addition, it is pointed out that the small number of universities in Ulsan is one of the reasons for the outflow of young people.

[Professor Joo Eun-soo / Department of Social Welfare at Ulsan National University: There is a four-year general university and then two junior colleges in Ulsan, and young people who exceed that capacity have no choice but to go to other cities, and naturally, the population in their early 20s will decrease. I think the fact that there are fewer universities is one of the characteristics that are a little different from other cities.]

As Ulsan is rapidly entering a super-aged society, there are voices that various policies are needed.

[Dr. Lee Yoon-hyung / Director of Culture and Social Research at Ulsan Research Institute: Creating an environment where you can receive all services in your community is the most priority for the city that is most senior-friendly.... Wouldn't it be a priority for young people to create jobs, cultural leisure, and residential environment into a youth-friendly environment?.]

Ulsan, once called a vibrant young city.

As the youth outflow and aging population worsen, it is urgent to come up with measures to solve the two problems.

I'm Ra Kyung-hoon from JCN News.


Photographer: Kim Chang-jong
Design: Lee Yu-ji