The average life expectancy of Koreans has continued to increase, reaching 84.4 years as of 2011. However, a survey of the middle-aged and elderly aged between 50 and 64 living in Seoul shows that the average retirement age is 53 for men and 48 for women. The survey also shows that the overall life satisfaction after retirement is around 56.4%. While life expectancy has increased, the retirement age of the middle-aged and elderly is getting younger, a situation requiring urgent measures to address associated problems. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to implement the 50+ Renaissance Project in order to help the middle-aged and elderly prepare for their later years. The goal of the project is to provide the middle-aged and elderly with comprehensive assistance from education, to jobs, culture, and leisure activities.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government surveyed 1,000 people aged between 50 and 64 living in Seoul in order to understand the current situation and needs of individuals over the age of 50 with regards to their preparation for a second career after retirement. One-on-one interviews were conducted by professional researchers on nine categories, such as quality of life, work/ jobs, demands, and others.

Economic Activity

Among those surveyed, 82.8% of men and 34.3% of women were currently participating in economic activities, and 53.1% of men and 31.6% of women said they were willing to continue working in the future.

• Men 82.8%: First job 36.9%, Second job after retirement 45.9%
• Women 34.3%: Major job 22.5%, Second job after retirement 11.8%

Cultural Activity

As for cultural activities, 55.6% of those surveyed replied “Yes” when asked if they would use facilities dedicated for use of the 50+ Generation. One out of two middle-aged and elderly people are thought to have needs that would be addressed by such facilities, which would provide programs related to work/jobs, leisure, and others.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will formulate the 50+ Renaissance Project and support the plan systematically and comprehensively so that middle-aged and elderly people aged between 50 and 64 can better prepare for their later years in life. To do so, it will establish the 50+ Foundation, which will be in charge of related policies and assistance plans overall and gradually set up “50+ Campuses” in each region and “50+ Centers” in each autonomous district. In addition, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will develop and implement programs of three categories (learning and exploration, work and participation, culture and infrastructure) to address concerns of the middle-aged and elderly about life after retirement.

Learning and Exploration

• Life redesign education
• Systematic and comprehensive counselling

Work and Participation

• Socially contributing jobs
• Business start-ups, job creation, and technical education

Culture and Infrastructure

• Socially contributing jobs
• Business start-ups, job creation, and technical education

50+ Assistance Policy is expected to provide the 50+ Generation with opportunities to prepare for their later years and, moreover, to breathe new life into society.

Keyword of Future Seoul 50+

• Resolving concerns of later years through planning for the second half of life
• Closing the income gap through job creation and business start-up support
• Improves the quality of life of the 50+ Generation through improvements of leisure time and activities, culture, and social relationships
• Expansion of integrated jobs among generations and public jobs
• Suggestion of socially contributing model using experiences and capacities
• Social participation activity in connection with local communities and towns

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will establish infrastructure such as the 50+ Foundation and Campuses in order to assist the 50+ Generation and provide related programs.

Establishing the Infrastructure

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will establish an assistance infrastructure to develop and implement policies supporting the 50+ Generation.

50+ Foundation

The 50+ Foundation is a think tank driving the 50+ Renaissance Project. It plays a central role as a network developing policies and contents related to the middle-aged and elderly and connecting various resources.

50+ Think Tank

Research of policies and development of programs of 50+ Renaissance Project
• Research and development
• Development and distribution of the contents
• Researching examples in other countries
• Establishment of 50+ Archive

50+ Network Hub

Establishment of a borderless sharing and cooperation network
• Supporting 50+ communities
• Establishment of partnership by field
• Training professional manpower
• 50+ conferences

50+ New Culture Distribution

Creation and distribution of a new culture for 50+ Generation
• Creation and distribution of a new culture for 50+ Generation
• 50+ Awards
• Public information campaign
• Brand management
• Promotion of 50+Project

50+ Campus

The concept of a 50+ Campus is a wide area platform that supports project planning and promotion of 50+ Centers. 50+ Campuses will be set up in six regions in Seoul according to the characteristics of the regions. The Campuses will be opened gradually with two campuses opening each year. All Campuses will be open and in operation by 2018.

Educational Support

• Education for life redesign
• Career-changing education
• Social contribution academy
• Alumni association and other follow-up management

Job creation and support for business start-ups

• Job counseling and information
• Assistance for business start-ups and job creation
• Development of professional skills and knowledge
• Running shared offices

Support for Social Participation

• Sharing talents
• Assistance for volunteering activity
• Campaigns and other related activities

Support for Daily Life

• Health care assistance
• Leisure activities assistance
• Cultural and artistic activities assistance
• Communities assistance

50+ Centers

50+ Centers are smaller-scale facilities than 50+ Campuses and are closely linked with each region. 50+ Centers will be used for spaces of activities for the 50+ Generation. 50+ Centers will run regular education courses, such as life design academies or social contribution academies. The students who finish the courses can become instructors through the Open School Program or are given opportunities to teach lectures voluntarily. They also can participate in follow-up programs such as exhibitions and volunteering activities based on the skills learned and their talents. 50+ Centers will be set up in each autonomous district and expanded gradually. A total of 19 centers will be operated by 2020.

Education and Exploration

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will expand educational opportunities and carry out customized consulting services for individuals in order to help the 50+ Generation design their second lives after retirement.

50+ Life School

In 50+ Life Schools, the students of 50+ Generation can contemplate what changes after the age of 50, such as work, money, relationships, and health, and formulate their new life visions accordingly.

50+ Customized Intensive Courses

50+ Customized Intensive Course offers Support for Daily Life counseling, allowing the citizens to explore their own needs and areas of interest, and provides customized educational programs for intensive learning according to the counseling results. Each program will offer jobs according to their interest in connection with expertise, research, local communities, and social contribution work programs. When six 50+ Campuses are established by 2020, 1,200 courses will be opened every year and 48,000 people can receive educational assistance.

Visiting 50+ Consultant

For those who have difficulties in planning their life after retirement, 50+ Generation individuals with expertise will directly visit them to help resolve their concerns and plan their later years. To do so, professional consultants will visit 50+ Centers and Lifelong Learning Centers around Seoul and carry out counseling services.

Work and Participation

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will create socially contributing jobs (Encore careers*), which can address social problems based on the rich knowledge and experiences of the middle-aged and elderly.

* Encore career: A job that allows individuals to achieve, to contribute socially, and to balance work and life. The concept was firstly defined by Marc Freedman, a US sociologist.

Jobs in the Public Sector for the 50+ Generation

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will operate Jobs in the public sector for the 50+ Generation to meet the new demands for welfare and to solve social problems among generations or towns and the like through their knowledge and experiences. The services will be provided in various forms to connect with social welfare and mentoring services, and settle regional problems. It is expected to create 12,000 jobs over five years.

Welfare-related type

• Senior community center coordinator
• Senior jobs coordinator

Generation integration mentoring type

• Sharing Education Professional
• Career counseling expert
• Life safety instructor

Regional problem solving type

• Safety protector of the community
• Trouble-shooter of the community

Seoul’s Encore Fellowship

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will use the experiences and network of retirees from the professions through the Encore Fellowship to reinforce the capacity of the social enterprises and non-profit organizations. The Encore Fellowship is already being implemented successfully in global companies. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will develop and implement Seoul’s Encore Fellowship in consideration of Seoul’s specific circumstances and environment.

* Encore Fellowship: Members of the 50+ Generation who are expected to retire from a job in a leading company will provide consulting services in specialized areas such as IT, accounting and finances to social enterprises and non-profit organizations, after job-changing education. This is a mutually beneficial policy that cannot only reinforce the capacity of the companies/organizations receiving the consulting services, but also create jobs for retirees of the 50+ Generation.

50+ Co-existing Private Jobs

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will create private jobs where Seoul and the 50+ Generation can mutually benefit through 50+ Co-existing Private Jobs. To do so, private jobs can be divided into Seoul tourism, farming, and small and medium-sized businesses, and various jobs will be offered in each division.

Seoul Tourism

• Urban accommodation cooperative association
• Tourism interpretation guide
• Cultural tourism commentator

Farming Area

• Local food manager
• Back to the farm academy
• Urban – rural cooperation project

Small and Medium-sized Businesses

• Divided by careers and occupational category
• Building job cooperative association
• Manpower dispatching to small and medium-sized businesses

50+ Customized Education for Business Start-ups, Employment, and Technology

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will support the building of social enterprises for the middle-aged and elderly, develop customized technology education courses, and create new jobs.

Support for Building Social Enterprises

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will support the building of social enterprises suitable for the middle-aged and elderly in connection with cooperative association assistance centers and Joyful Union programs. To do so, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide basic procedures of social enterprises, as well as presentations and customized consulting services.

Providing Places for Incubating Business Start-ups and Job Creation

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will provide incubating places such as open-type shared spaces and offices as well as expert coaching for 50+ Generation individuals who plan to start businesses and create jobs. It is expected that 50 incubating places will be built in 50+ Campuses by 2020.

Support for Technology Education Customized for 50+ Generation

Seoul Metropolitan Government will offer customized education to the 50+ Generation in link with the Seoul Institute of Technology and Education (Operating programs for popular certificates, such as Seoul energy planner and career counselor) and the Seoul Business Agency(New career capacity school (i.e. experts in hotel room management).

Culture and Infrastructure

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will support the 50+ Generation so that they can enjoy cultural life through cultural and artistic activities and community activities. In addition, to establish a business start-up infrastructure for young people, it will implement programs that integrate different generations, such as the “Mentor Group for Youth”, in which retirees from professional jobs pass their knowledge and experiences on to young start-ups, and the “2025 Joint Business Start-up Competition”, in which members of the 50+ Generation invest in start-up ideas of young people.

Seoul’U3A Development

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will develop Seoul’s own U3A to support cultural and artistic activities and leisure for the 50+ Generation. To do so, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will directly plan and run more than half of the center’s education programs through 50+ Campuses. In addition, it will offer cultural programs with the help of retired cultural artists and unknown professionals.

* U3A: An acronym for ‘University of the 3rd Age’, meaning universities for retired senior citizens. Retirees can share their knowledge with others or learn about new areas from other people.

In addition, it will carry out “Hidden 50+ Projects” to discover content for active cultural and artistic activities of the 50+ Generation. Through the Hidden 50+ Projects, it will support community activities, research, and content-generating activities.

Seed Meeting

• Assistance of 50+ community small groups, club, and alumni associations

Researches

• Assistance of directly chosen research projects
• Assistance of research reports and research fund

Content Creation

• Covering activities of 50+ press corps and smart video writer
• Creation of various contents

Discovering 50+ Role Models

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will discover role models where citizens of the 50+ Generation and the youth can co-exist through networks at home and abroad.

Generation Integration Program

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will link young citizens preparing a new business with the 50+ Generation who are retired from their professions. Through the program, the Seoul Metropolitan Government will develop a model where both elder and younger generations can learn together and create new jobs.

• Operating the Mentor Group for Youth: Matching university business start-up clubs with retirees from professional jobs
• Holding the 2025 Joint Business Start-up Competition, in which production and investment into ideas of young people and the 50+ Generation can be made (December).
• Developing 2050 Share House models

Generation Integration Program

Exchanges among activists at home and abroad

• 50+ Partner’s day (Once a month)
• Pro Bono Priming Forum (October)

Sharing 50+ Trends abroad

• 50+ Consecutive Forum (June, September, and October)
• 50+ International Conference (November)

Distribution of 50+ Role Model

• 50+ Awards
• 50+ Public Campaign

Building a Comprehensive Network for Support

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will build a support system that can connect, integrate, and manage various areas in a life such as finance, work, learning, culture, family, and others based on the 50+ Foundation, and offer various and close support to the 50+ Generation.