South Korea’s 10 million older workers expose retirement’s widening economic gap



Briefings South Korea’s 10 million older workers expose retirement’s widening economic gap A record workforce masks a two-decade stretch between career exit and retirement that pensions still fail to bridge KOREA PROAugust 6, 2026 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON South Korean senior citizens playing chess in a park, March 16, 2013 \| Image: Terence Lim via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0) The number of employed South Koreans aged 55 to 79 exceeded 10 million for the first time in May, rising by 345,000 from a year earlier to 10.13 million, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Wednesday. The age group grew by 570,000 to 17.02 million, accounting for 37% of the population aged 15 and over, while its employment rate remained unchanged at 59.5%. Employment among people aged 65 to 79 increased by 326,000, compared with a gain of 20,000 among those aged 55 to 64. Among people aged 55 to 79, 69.2% said they wanted to continue working, with © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine 02Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system 03South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience 04Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma 05Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs 06South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower 07Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading 08China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea

Briefings

South Korea’s 10 million older workers expose retirement’s widening economic gap

A record workforce masks a two-decade stretch between career exit and retirement that pensions still fail to bridge

KOREA PROAugust 6, 2026

South Korea’s 10 million older workers expose retirement’s widening economic gap

South Korean senior citizens playing chess in a park, March 16, 2013 | Image: Terence Lim via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The number of employed South Koreans aged 55 to 79 exceeded 10 million for the first time in May, rising by 345,000 from a year earlier to 10.13 million, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Wednesday. The age group grew by 570,000 to 17.02 million, accounting for 37% of the population aged 15 and over, while its employment rate remained unchanged at 59.5%. Employment among people aged 65 to 79 increased by 326,000, compared with a gain of 20,000 among those aged 55 to 64.

Among people aged 55 to 79, 69.2% said they wanted to continue working, with

LATEST ANALYSIS

01Trump’s Cheongung social media post tests Seoul’s refusal to arm to Ukraine
02Lee Jae Myung risks public trust as South Korea rewires its justice system
03South Korea turns to Central Asia as Iran war tests its energy resilience
04Houthi seizure of Mokha sharpens South Korea’s Hormuz deployment dilemma
05Japan’s stronger yen may cut Korea’s import bill while raising funding costs
06South Korea leans on Europe as Hormuz deployment choices grow narrower
07Hanwha’s Austal bid shows where South Korea’s MASGA plan may be heading
08China’s Taiwan pressure may reveal more disciplined strategy toward South Korea

South Korea’s 10 million older workers expose retirement’s widening economic gap

LATEST ANALYSIS

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