'The Place to Be' in an Era of Disappearance: The Challenge of South Korea Where People in Their 70s Outnumber Those in Their 20s

According to the 2024 Population and Housing Census, the population of those aged 70 and over in South Korea has reached 6.54 million, surpassing the population of those in their 20s at 6.3 million. This is the first reversal since statistics began to be collected in 1925.

The population of those in their 20s peaked at 7.03 million in 2020 but has been declining for four consecutive years, falling from the largest age group among adults to the smallest.

This number goes beyond simple population statistics. South Korean society is rapidly entering a super-aged society, with the population aged 65 and over exceeding 10 million as of 2025.

This accounts for about 19.5% of the total population. The United Nations classifies a society as super-aged when the proportion of the population aged 65 and over exceeds 20%. South Korea is about to cross that threshold.

The issue is not the numbers. It is the perspective our society has towards the elderly. Aging is still discussed only within the framework of dependency burdens or welfare crises. The elderly are seen as subjects of care, while the youth are depicted as the generation that must bear that burden.

However, a completely different story is unfolding in Ofunato, a small coastal town in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

'The Place to Be' Born from Disaster

On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck northeastern Japan. Ofunato was devastated by the tsunami, and hundreds lost their lives. Survivors were scattered in temporary housing, and especially the elderly fell into deep isolation.

A few months later, an elderly man said, "What we need is not sympathy, but a place to work."

This single statement marked the beginning of the Ibasho project. Ibasho means a place where one can be oneself in Japanese. It is a space designed, built, and operated by the elderly themselves.

Opened in 2013, the Honeywell Ibasho House in Ofunato became a complex space with a café, noodle shop, and vegetable garden. Here, elderly people in their 70s and 80s cook and sell food, care for children, and teach traditional cooking methods to the young.

Led by Dr. Emi Kiyota, an American architect and gerontologist, this project was not just a welfare facility. It was a social experiment to reposition the elderly from being beneficiaries to being creators, and from being dependents to being the center of the community.

The results were remarkable. Elderly people who regularly visited Ibasho made more friends, and their sense of belonging and self-efficacy significantly improved. It was not just a reduction in loneliness; the very purpose of life was restored.

From Disaster Recovery Model to Global Movement

The Ibasho that started in Ofunato has now become a global model. The Ibasho model has been successfully applied in disaster areas such as Ormoc in the Philippines, which was affected by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and Matatirtha in Nepal after the earthquake in 2015.

Research results show that the Ibasho projects in the Philippines and Nepal significantly strengthened the social capital of participating elderly people, with deep bonds formed in the Philippines and broad social networks established in Nepal.

The most notable expansion is in 2024. In Singapore, where aging is progressing the fastest in the world, the first Ibasho project launched in March. The Margaret Drive Center, created in collaboration with the National University of Singapore's Population Health Center and the social welfare organization, FaceActs, is an example of applying the eight principles of Ibasho in the Singaporean context.

A core committee of 24 multi-generational members has been formed, and resident-led programs such as digital clinics and upcycling craft workshops are being operated.

The Singaporean government is using this project to address issues of elderly isolation and age discrimination while verifying whether a community-led model can work in Singapore. The World Health Organization and UN-Habitat are also paying attention to Ibasho, evaluating it as an alternative model for aging societies.

As of 2025, Ibasho is operating in Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, and Singapore, with inquiries coming from various countries around the world. What began as a disaster recovery project has evolved into a recovery model responding to the global aging crisis.

Isolation in South Korea Knows No Generations

What about South Korea? According to the 2023 Elderly Status Survey, the proportion of single-person households among those aged 65 and over is 32.8%, an increase of 13.0 percentage points compared to 2020. In 2023, there are 2,138,000 elderly households living alone, of which 18.7% reported having no one to rely on for help.

However, isolation is not just an issue for the elderly. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in 2022, the largest group of patients receiving treatment for depression was those in their 20s, numbering 194,000. South Korea has now become a society where both the young and the elderly are isolated.

This isolation is not just an emotional issue. According to the 2023 national statistics on lonely deaths, the number of cases where individuals died alone and were left unattended reached 3,661.

Among these, 1,146 were in their 60s, and 1,097 were in their 50s, with middle-aged men accounting for more than half, but 43% were under 50. South Korean society is allowing a structure where people die alone, regardless of generation.

What Is Needed Is Not Care, but Roles

The core of the Ibasho model is summarized in the eight principles of Ibasho. These principles shift the very perspective on aging.

Principle 1: The elderly are valuable assets. They are not subjects of care but core resources of the community with accumulated wisdom, skills, and a desire to contribute.

Principle 4: Participation of all generations. Ibasho is not a space just for the elderly. Children learn traditional games from the elderly, and the youth teach the elderly how to use smartphones. It is a place where intergenerational circulation occurs.

Principle 7: Sustainability. Many Ibasho operate community gardens and direct sales outlets. Food, social connections, and economic activities form a circular structure.

Dr. Emi Kiyota said, "Elders do not come to receive treatment. They come to work, contribute, and teach. In that process, loneliness naturally disappears."

The Ibasho approach resonates with traditional values in South Korea. In the past, the elderly were the center of village communities in Korean society. They played roles in passing down experiences and wisdom, mediating conflicts, and leading the younger generation.

However, rapid industrialization and nuclear family structures have dismantled these roles. Ibasho is an attempt to restore those roles in a modern form.

Is Ibasho Possible in South Korea?

There are similar attempts in South Korea. Since 2023, the city of Seoul has been creating intergenerational empathy hub spaces, and in some areas, projects for village cafes and community gardens run by the elderly are underway.

However, most still take the form of top-down welfare programs. Structures where the elderly directly design and own are rare.

For the Ibasho model to take root in South Korea, several transitions are necessary.

First, the language used to view aging must change. From elderly welfare to aging assets, from subjects of care to community creators. The framing in policy documents and media reports must change.

Second, ownership of spaces must be returned to the elderly. The core of Ibasho is that they are the owners. It is necessary to have a structure where the elderly decide and operate themselves, rather than spaces managed by local governments or social welfare organizations.

Third, intergenerational circulation must be designed. Not just senior centers where only the elderly gather, but spaces where children and youth come and go together. Elders should teach cooking and traditional skills, while the youth should provide knowledge of digital tools in a mutually learning environment.

Recovery Begins with Roles

The era where those in their 70s outnumber those in their 20s is not a crisis. It is simply that we are unprepared. As long as we view aging as a burden, both the elderly and the youth will be unhappy.

However, if we reposition aging as an asset and the center of intergenerational circulation, an aging society can become a starting point for a new community model.

Ibasho is not a perfect solution. However, it provides a clue. People do not recover solely through care. When there are roles and purposes, and when they feel they are needed by someone, they truly come back to life.

In South Korea, there are 6.54 million people aged 70 and over. Many of them are still healthy, want to work, and are looking for places to contribute. The question is simple. Are we ready to provide them with a place to be?

Sources

• National Data Agency, 「2024 Population and Housing Census」 (2025)

• Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 「2023 Resident Registration Population Statistics」 (2024)

• Ministry of Health and Welfare, 「2023 Elderly Status Survey」 (2023)

• Statistics Korea, 「2024 Elderly Statistics」 (2024)

• Ministry of Health and Welfare, 「2024 Lonely Death Statistics Survey」 (2024)

• Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, 「Depression Treatment Status」 (2022)

• Ibasho Network, "The Ibasho Approach: Empowering Elders to Rebuild Communities" (2023)

• Kiyota, E., "Ibasho: Creating Places Where Elders Can Age with Dignity and Purpose" (2021)

• National University of Singapore, "First Ibasho Project in Singapore Launches" (2024)