South Korea’s growing dementia crisis exposes the country’s fragmented and inadequate care infrastructure, leaving families to shoulder the financial and emotional burden of long-term care. 

Despite technological advances in early diagnosis and treatment, the country’s support system for dementia patients remains underdeveloped compared to international standards.

The government projects that the number of dementia patients will exceed one million by 2026 and reach 2.34 million by 2059, according to a comprehensive 2023 epidemiological study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare published Wednesday.

This figure poses a serious challenge to the national healthcare system and social stability. Without a more