Yoon "Providing up to 3,000 Public Rental Housing Units Annually for Seniors... Introducing Silver Stay"

22nd Public Discussion in Wonju, Gangwon-do
"Caring Well for the Elderly is the Government's Responsibility"
Expansion of 250 Long-term Care Home Medical Centers Nationwide
Patient Burden for Home Visit Medical Fees Halved

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 22nd "Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People" held on the 21st at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Wonju, Gangwon Province, under the theme "Healthy and Happy Old Age."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 21st, "We are currently building 1,000 public rental housing units annually for vulnerable elderly people, but we plan to increase the supply to 3,000 units each year." He announced the introduction of 'Silver Stay,' a new private rental housing option for middle-class elderly households, and also pledged to drastically reduce the patient burden for home visit medical fees for severely ill patients from the current 38,000 won to about half, strengthening the elderly care system.

On the same day, President Yoon presided over the 22nd Public Livelihood Forum themed "Healthy and Happy Old Age" at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Wonju, Gangwon Province, stating, "We will expand the supply of housing that includes daily life services such as meals, laundry, care, and nursing for the elderly." This was the second time in just 10 days that President Yoon held a Public Livelihood Forum in Gangwon Province, following the one in Chuncheon on the 11th.

In his opening remarks, President Yoon emphasized, "Right after the Korean War, General MacArthur of the United States said, 'It will take 100 years to rebuild this country unless a miracle happens,' and the miracle was achieved by the elderly of the Republic of Korea," adding, "It is an important responsibility of the government to take good care of the elderly who have devoted their lives."

"Comprehensive Measures Needed for Elderly Medical Care, Nursing, and Long-term Care"

President Yoon particularly stressed that South Korea is entering an aging society faster than any other country in the world, and comprehensive measures are needed for the elderly, covering daily life such as housing, meals, and care, as well as medical care, nursing, and long-term care.

To this end, he first plans to significantly expand the supply of housing that includes daily life services such as meals, laundry, care, and nursing for the elderly. The supply of Silver Towns will be increased, and public rental housing for vulnerable elderly people will be expanded from the current 1,000 units to 3,000 units.

President Yoon said, "We will introduce a new type of 'elderly-friendly housing' that did not exist before, such as middle-class private rentals or REITs," and added, "We will introduce 'Silver Stay,' a private rental housing for middle-class elderly households." Silver Stay is a housing equipped with elderly-specialized facilities such as motion detectors and step removal, providing elderly care services including medical and nursing care.

He also mentioned plans to create more than 55% of the total as elderly welfare housing and elderly welfare facilities, and to allocate less than 30% as officetels for sale, promoting a 'Healthcare REIT' that satisfies both public interest and profitability.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the 22nd "Public Discussion on Livelihoods" held under the theme "Healthy and Happy Old Age" on the 21st at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service in Wonju, Gangwon Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He promised to properly establish a medical and long-term care system for the elderly. First, home medical care, where doctors and nurses visit patients at home, will be activated. To this end, the number of long-term care home medical centers providing 'integrated medical and nursing care' by visiting the homes of long-term care recipients will be greatly expanded from the current 95 centers to 250 nationwide. The patient burden for home visit medical fees for severely ill patients will be drastically reduced from the current 38,000 won to about half.

President Yoon emphasized, "To alleviate the caregiving burden promised during the presidential election, starting from April this year, a pilot project will be implemented to support caregiving costs for elderly patients hospitalized in long-term care hospitals who require caregiving, and a dementia management primary care physician system will also be introduced for dementia patients and their families."

Various senior services will also be provided centered around senior centers. The number of senior centers where elderly people can dine together will be expanded, and meal delivery services for elderly people with mobility difficulties will be introduced. President Yoon said, "To resolve the digital divide among the elderly, we will enable them to learn how to use digital devices at senior centers," adding, "We will introduce a quasi-senior center system to legalize unregistered senior centers and provide financial support." Five additional senior-friendly national sports centers will be built this year, and park golf courses will be expanded along with the distribution of customized exercise programs.

"Expansion of Wonju Transportation Network... Connection to GTX-D Line"

Wonju will be developed as a central city for the digital healthcare industry utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and digital technology. President Yoon said, "Wonju has established the only self-sustaining medical device innovation cluster in the country," and promised, "Based on the health and medical data possessed by Wonju, we will link it with Gangwon's 'Global Innovation Special Zone for Health and Medical Data' to dramatically advance the health and medical industry in Wonju and Gangwon."

He continued, "For industry to develop properly, education must also change," mentioning plans to designate Wonju High School as an autonomous public high school and to designate specialized high schools in Wonju as agreement-type specialized high schools, building an educational cluster and significantly improving the educational environment in the innovation city.

The transportation network in Wonju will also be expanded. To develop Wonju as a key city in the central region, the metropolitan express railway (GTX-D) line will be connected to Wonju, and the double-track railway from Yeoju to Wonju, which began construction in January this year, will be built without delay to improve transportation conditions for Wonju citizens.

About 70 people attended the forum, including elderly representatives from various sectors, Wonju citizens, workers from senior welfare centers and nursing facilities, home medical care medical staff, and experts. From the government, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong and Wonju Mayor Won Kang-soo participated, and from the Presidential Office, Policy Chief Seong Tae-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Jang Sang-yoon, and Senior Secretary for Science and Technology Park Sang-wook were present.