The National Human Rights Commission of Korea(Chairperson Lee Sungho) presents the following Chairperson’s Statement in celebration of the Day of Older Persons on 2 of October.
Population ageing is a global phenomenon, and Korea is also becoming an aged society with expanded life expectancy and low birth rate. The UN prospects that the number of people aged 60 or older is expected to increase from the current 18.5 % to 41.5% in 2050.
However, the prospect for aged Korea is not that bright. In Korea, 47.2%(as of 2013) of the aged are living in poverty, and the figure is higher than that of OECD average on 12.8%. Moreover, Korea ranks the first in terms of ratio of death caused by suicide among older persons. In addition, according to the 2015 Global Age Watch Index by the HelpAge International, Korea ranks 60 among 96 countries in terms of social and economic status of older persons. As such, human rights of the aged in Korea is in dire situation.
The Constitution of Korea prescribes that every people have a right to a life with dignity, and the State bears an obligation to guarantee basic human rights.
Such rights and dignity as a human being should not be degraded because of one’s age. However, in Korea, a number of older persons are faced with various issues including poverty, suicide, abuse, discrimination and social exclusion. In order to address such issues, it is time to move beyond an approach which views the aged as subject for charity and welfare to an approach that guaranteed human rights and dignity.
Against this backdrop, the NHRCK hosted a symposium on human rights of older persons on 2 October, 2015 to discuss issues related to discrimination against and care for older persons. The NHRCK also plans to host the ASEM Conference on Global Ageing and Human Rights of Older Persons from 26 to 28 October, in Seoul, Korea. The Conference aims to be platform to gather all stakeholders including ASEM members, representatives from the UN, EU, ASEAN, NGO and academia. They will be discussion all related issues including older persons’ right to health, social security, work, and freedom from violence and abuse.
The NHRCK will continue to host such symposiums, panel discussions and conferences on human rights of older persons to raise awareness on the issue, identify improvement measures and cooperate with the international community for protection and promotion of human rights of older persons
