In 2024, Gangwon established the 1st Three-Year Plan for Making Gangwon More Age-friendly, centered on the vision of “Gangwon, a dignified city where older adults can live comfortably.” Scheduled for implementation from 2025 to 2027, the plan outlines a total of 89 action plans, encompassing 4 major policy goals, 5 strategies and 16 policy tasks. These 89 action plans span 11 bureaus, 21 divisions, and 35 teams within Gangwon’s administration and address all domains outlined in the WHO guide.

In addition, Gangwon has been operating the “Gangwon Regional Social Security Implementation Plan TF” since 2013, which involves administrative officials, academic researchers, field experts, and middle-aged stakeholders in various fields. In addition, to strengthen the foundation for making the region more age-friendly, Gangwon established the “Elderly Welfare Division” in 2022 and enacted the Ordinance on Support for Making Gangwon More Age-friendly, in December 2023. In July 2023, the Gangwon State Council(legislative branch) established the “Age-friendly City Research Group” to address issues related to an aging society.

In addition, in 2024, Gangwon became the first in South Korea to develop the “Gangwon Age-friendly Impact Assessment(tentative) Indicators” and conducted a pilot implementation for state government employees. In line with the goals of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, Gangwon has been operating the “Gangwon Senior Citizen Policy Monitoring Group” since 2020, in which older adults can actively participate in the policy-making process and propose improvements to existing policies.

Gangwon will strive to promote age-friendly cities ensuring a livable living environment, a vibrant aging, stable aging without income gaps, and reliable care for a healthy aging. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate closely with the international community to develop tailored age-friendly policies and promote the sustainable development of cities worldwide.