Older Persons Must Be Respected as Rights Holders amid Poverty, Suicide, Abuse and Concerns over “AI Ageism”
Growing older must not lead to discrimination, and older persons must be able to live with dignity in the places they call home
Statement by the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea on the 30th Day of Older Persons
On 2 October, the 30th Day of Older Persons, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho) extends its deep respect and gratitude to all older persons in our communities. The Commission also calls on Korean society to make sure that older persons are not discriminated against because of their age and can live with dignity, as rights holders, in the places they call home.
This is the second Day of Older Persons since Korea became a super-aged society. As of the end of August 2026, 11,278,000 registered residents were aged 65 or over, which is 22.08 per cent of the total population. Society must ask whether the systems that protect the lives and rights of older persons have kept pace with this demographic change.
The relative income poverty rate among people aged 66 and over is 39.7 per cent. This is the highest among OECD member countries and about 2.7 times the OECD average of 14.8 per cent.
Korea’s age-standardised suicide rate, calculated by the OECD method, is 24.9 per 100,000 population. This is about 2.3 times the OECD average of 10.9. In 2025, people aged 80 and over had the highest suicide rate of any age group, at 52.6 per 100,000.
In 2025, 7,973 cases were confirmed as abuse against older persons, an increase of 11.2 per cent on the previous year. Of these, 7,076 cases (88.7 per cent) took place in the home.
Improving this situation means responding to urgent problems such as poverty and abuse. It also means changing how society sees older persons. Ageism, which judges older persons by their age alone or treats them as having nothing to contribute, can keep them from taking part in society and can undermine their dignity.
There is particular concern about artificial intelligence (AI), which is now being introduced in medical and care settings. Existing stereotypes may be built into its data and algorithms, so that it repeats or even deepens discrimination against older persons. On 2 September, the Commission co-hosted an international forum on AI and the human rights of older persons with the ASEM Global Ageing Center and other partners. At the forum, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons stressed that human rights principles must come before technological innovation in the move to AI.
The principle that older persons should live with dignity whatever their age reflects Articles 10 and 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which guarantee human dignity and social security. It also reflects the basic principles of the Welfare of Senior Citizens Act. At the international level, the United Nations Principles for Older Persons have already been adopted, and the international community is now discussing a legally binding international convention that would protect the rights of older persons more fully.
The Commission has also worked to promote the human rights of older persons, guided by the principle that they are rights holders. This work has included recommendations for institutional reform and international cooperation.
In June this year, the Commission recommended that the Government improve the integrated community care system using a human rights-based approach. Among other things, it called for minimum service standards to narrow regional gaps in care, stronger end-of-life care, and a legal basis for remedy procedures and housing support.
The Commission also published Old Age, Ageism and the Human Rights of Older Persons, a booklet to raise awareness of ageism. It carried out a survey on identifying older persons at risk of suicide early and protecting their human rights. It also commissioned research to develop indicators for assessing the human rights impact of care services in long-term care institutions. Internationally, the Commission chairs the GANHRI Working Group on Ageing, and in that role it has taken part in discussions on drafting a convention on the rights of older persons.
For these efforts to make a real difference in older persons’ daily lives, the Government needs to play an active role. The Commission calls on the Government to put effective measures in place to prevent poverty and suicide among older persons and abuse against them. It also calls on the Government to implement its recommendations on integrated community care in full.
The Commission also thanks everyone who supports older persons in their daily lives, including family caregivers, care workers, social workers and nurses. A society that respects older persons as rights holders can only be built by listening to older persons and also respecting the rights and work of those who care for them.
The Commission will continue to examine relevant systems and policies from a human rights perspective, so that growing older does not lead to discrimination and all older persons can live with dignity in the places they call home. As a national human rights institution, it will continue to fulfil its responsibilities so that the rights of older persons are realised in everyday life.
2 October 2026
Ahn Chang-ho
Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Korea
