Lee vows to improve welfare for senior citizens

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak said Thursday that his administration will continue to improve the welfare of senior citizens in spite of the slumping economy.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the annual Senior Citizen Day, Lee also vowed to
increase the number of state-subsidized jobs for senior citizens from 117,000
this year to 130,000 next year.
"The economic circumstances are not favorable, but welfare for senior citizens
will never be scaled down. It is a key state policy task," Lee said at the
ceremony.
"South Korea can become a truly advanced welfare state only after the welfare
demands of senior citizens are fully met. Instead the government will freeze the
salary of ranking civil servants next year and discourage unnecessary overseas
travel by government officials," said the president.
Lee then disclosed his policy stance on South Korea's rapidly aging society.
"By 2026, South Korea will become a super-aged society, as one out of every five
South Korean citizens will be older than 65. In this regard, the government will
enforce an integrated welfare policy for senior citizens to more actively take
care of their disease treatment and employment," said the president.