Sejong City is a relatively young city, with persons aged 65 or older accounting for approximately 10% of the total population. However, to respond proactively to global ageing and urbanization trends, the city was approved as a member city of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities in 2020. The city also established an age-friendly city project that promotes active ageing, where public and private sectors, relevant departments, and local community organizations have implemented 52 subprojects in eight domains. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city achieved a higher-than-average age-friendliness level by providing care and prevention activities for older people vulnerable to infectious diseases using non-face-to-face approaches.

Serving as the administrative center of Korea, Sejong City has implemented projects that accommodate the needs of its citizens, including development of a project to help older citizens between the ages of 50 and 65 (“the young old”) prepare for retirement. In Phase II of the age-friendly city project, new subprojects were developed, and existing subprojects were improved to respond to the needs of older people and the lack of infrastructure. In addition, for systematic and efficient implementation of this project, we plan to make various efforts, including: building an integrated age-friendly policy management system around the division in charge of the age-friendly city project; development of an evaluation system using the ‘Senior Welfare Policy Committee’, ‘Sejong City’s Senior Welfare Policy Council’; establishment of clear assessment indicators; ensuring continuity of domain-specific projects by separating long-term and short-term projects; assessment of age-friendliness; and implementation of mid-range and short-range policies based on the assessment results.