The Korean Association of Retired Persons (KARP), led by President Juch Myong-Yong, has called for a fundamental overhaul of South Korea’s senior employment policy.

On the 7th, KARP held a resolution meeting at its auditorium in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, attended by members, and adopted a declaration demanding a structural transformation of senior employment programs. In the declaration, President Juch stated that the current system is “an ambiguous structure that is neither labor nor welfare,” urging a comprehensive redesign.

According to the declaration, the senior employment program—originally launched in 2004 to provide small tasks and pocket money—remains largely unchanged in its nature even after two decades. KARP emphasized that “it must be fundamentally restructured into a system where the status of labor and fair wages are guaranteed, in line with the very definition of a job.”

The association further stressed that, as South Korea enters a super-aged society and its working-age population rapidly declines, it is a “national waste of human resources” to treat older adults merely as welfare recipients. It defined people in their 50s to 70s with experience and capability as an “Experience Core” workforce and called for their active utilization as key national human resources.

To this end, KARP proposed a comprehensive policy shift, including:

▶Phasing out allowance-based, menial senior jobs

▶Ensuring fair wages for senior labor

▶Actively deploying older workers in labor-shortage sectors

▶Utilizing seniors not as passive participants but as core workforce

The declaration criticized the current system for providing only welfare-level subsidies without guaranteeing labor status or fair compensation. It argued that senior employment should no longer be treated as a welfare program, but rather as formal labor.

KARP also pointed out structural flaws in the policy framework. It called for a clear separation between labor and welfare: labor should fall under employment policy, while welfare should be reserved for those in need of protection. This, in effect, means redefining senior employment policy as part of national employment strategy rather than social welfare.

The association plans to submit the declaration to the Presidential Office, the National Assembly, and relevant government ministries, and to continue its campaign so that the proposal is reflected in future discussions on aging society policies.