Koo Jageun Proposes Bringing Senior Parks into the Institutional Welfare System

Leisure and welfare facilities for the elderly limited to welfare centers, senior community centers, and senior classes only
Need to expand facilities such as parks for outdoor activities for older adults

Koo Jageun, Member of the National Assembly (Gumi City A, North Gyeongsang, People Power Party), announced on the 21st that he had sponsored a partial amendment to the Elderly Welfare Act that adds “senior-friendly parks” to the existing categories of leisure and welfare facilities for the elderly.

Gu Jageun, Member of the National Assembly (Gumi A, North Gyeongsang, People Power Party) / Kim Ihwan, Reporter

South Korea entered a super-aged society in December 2024, and as of January 2026, the proportion of the population aged 65 and older has reached 21.3%. The rapid increase in the elderly population implies a broad-based expansion of policy demand in areas such as health, leisure, and social participation, and the expansion of welfare infrastructure to support an active old age for seniors is emerging as an important task.

However, under the current Elderly Welfare Act, leisure and welfare facilities for the elderly are limited to three types: welfare centers for the elderly, senior community centers, and senior classes. As a result, outdoor activity-oriented spaces are not sufficiently reflected in the institutional framework. There is also a lack of systematic grounds for the creation and management of parks that apply safety designs tailored to the walking characteristics of older adults, the risk of falls, and the demand for rest areas.

There has been ongoing criticism that indoor-focused leisure facilities alone cannot adequately guarantee sufficient physical activity for seniors and that they have limitations in preventing social problems such as feelings of isolation or depression. Accordingly, there has been a steady call to include senior-friendly parks, where regular walking and exercise are possible and interaction with local residents can take place, as welfare facilities within the institutional system.

This amendment adds “senior-friendly parks” to the leisure and welfare facilities for the elderly under the Elderly Welfare Act, thereby including in this category parks and their ancillary facilities that are installed to enable routine outdoor physical activity and social interaction for the purpose of improving seniors’ health and emotional well-being. Through this, the state and local governments are expected to secure a legal basis to develop and expand such facilities in a more systematic manner.

Assemblyman Koo stated, “In a super-aged society, spaces where seniors can walk and exercise safely and communicate with their neighbors are not optional but an essential part of social infrastructure,” adding, “By clearly defining senior-friendly parks in the institutional framework, we will actively support a healthy old age and an improved quality of life for seniors.”