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Survey reveals retirement age increase favored by older Koreans

Published: 01 Feb. 2026, 14:39 Updated: 01 Feb. 2026, 16:13

A person walks out of the comprehensive counseling center at the National Pension Service’s Seoul northern regional headquarters in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, on Jan. 9. [YONHAP]

Two out of three Koreans aged 50 and older believe that the retirement age should be higher than the current 65, according to a recent report.

The National Pension Research Institute released the results of its latest survey on Sunday, showing that 66 percent of respondents favored pushing the retirement age higher. Men showed slightly higher support at 66.2 percent than women at 65.9 percent.

Support remained below the average among respondents ages 50 to 54 at 64.8 percent, ages 55 to 59 at 64 percent and ages 60 to 64 at 65.7 percent. Support increased among older respondents, reaching 69.9 percent for those ages 65 to 69, 70.4 percent for ages 70 to 74 and 68.4 percent for ages 75 to 79.

By employment status, 67.7 percent of nonworking respondents showed greater support for extending the mandatory retirement age, compared to 64.8 percent among those who were employed.

By education levels, respondents with no formal schooling showed a lower support rate at 61.4 percent, while support reached 66.1 percent among those with elementary school education, 65.4 percent among middle school graduates, 66.4 percent among high school graduates and 66.3 percent among those with a college degree or higher.

Support reached 69.1 percent among Seoul residents, compared to 67.9 percent among residents of other metropolitan cities such as Incheon or Daegu and 64.1 percent among those living in provincial regions, like Gyeonggi or Gangwon.

Respondents who supported an extension said they wanted an average retirement age of 66.3, above the current pension eligibility age of 65. Those ages 70 to 74 reported the preferred retirement age at 66.9, the highest among respondents.

In a separate survey of respondents ages 65 and older, 80.6 percent said they had heard of the senior job program, though 52 percent of those who had heard of the program said they knew little about it. Only 15.5 percent said they had applied, with women reporting a higher application rate at 18.8 percent than men at 11.5 percent.

The senior job program refers to government-supported employment initiatives that provide part-time or short-term work for people aged 60 and older to supplement income and encourage social participation.

Among respondents who had applied before, 75.5 percent said they planned to participate in the future. Among those who had not applied, 12.9 percent said they planned to participate.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]