KISTEP held the 139th KISTEP Wednesday Forum "Digital Healthcare and Gerontechnology" on October 13 (Wed) to discuss solutions to problems due to aging society with the baby boomers so called "young elderly." The Wednesday forum was broadcast live online without external participants to respond to COVID-19, and can be viewed again through the KISTEP YouTube channel.

(Link) https://youtu.be/6eBJxpiy6Zk

▲ Sang-seon Kim, stating the significance of the forum

Sang-seon Kim, president of KISTEP, stated in his opening speech, "Korea is now recording a significantly low birth rate of 0.84, and an aging society is progressing at a very rapid pace. With the retirement of the baby boomers, we need to come up with welfare technology and services to improve the quality of life for the elderly."

▲Professor Young-ran Park (Gangnam University)

Professor Young-ran Park of Gangnam University, who was in charge of presenting the topic, explained the concept and research trends of Gerontechnology, emphasizing the importance of developing technology for the elderly..

The announcement was concluded with a policy suggestion that R&D planning and evaluation are necessary from the perspectives of Gerontechnology and that its ecosystem should be established.

The following panel discussion was hosted by Young-soo Ryu (director of KISTEP business coordination division), with Sung-taek Hwang (vice president of Wonderpool Platform), Professor Sung-il Lee (Sungkyunkwan University), and Young-shin Jang (head of the Korea Social Welfare Council).

▲ Sung-taek Hwang (vice president of Wonderpool Platform)

He argued that it is crucial to develop technology targeted for actual users, and that K-care services should be expanded through organic collaboration and ICT technology by companies, hospitals, and various institutions to create the Gerontechnology ecosystem.

▲ Professor Sung-il Lee (Sungkyunkwan University)

 “Currently, most of the technologies for the elderly are focused on healthcare,” he stated, “but there are many "young seniors" in their 60s to 70s who lead healthy daily lives, so it should be subdivided and targeted to implement age-friendly R&D and policies.”

▲ Young-shin Jang (head of the Korea Social Welfare Council)

She explained concerns brought from the social welfare industry, and argued that it is necessary to establish a social security platform that encompasses inclusive policies in health and welfare so that the digital gap does not lead to social gaps.