Korea aims to save seniors lost in digital age

Suwon, Gyeonggi Province - A moment of relief emerged for 79-year-old Hwang Sun-hee following her successful online shopping experience during a digital training session in Korea. The nation, which boasts one of the most pronounced digital gulf for seniors worldwide, is experiencing an alarming increase in the disparity between generations.

The digital divide among older individuals has become an increasingly pressing issue within the rapidly aging and hyper-connected country. Hwang lamented the challenges posed by the ever-evolving digital landscape, expressing that navigating smartphone apps and kiosk machines proved overwhelming for her age group. At a senior community center in Suwon, south of Seoul, Hwang attended government-led digital survival training aimed at bridging this substantial "grey digital divide."

The demographic gap between older and younger generations is starkly evident in the approximately 52 million inhabitants of Korea. The country is renowned for its cutting-edge smartphone and memory chip technologies, yet the impact of this technological advancement on the elderly population is evident in various instances. Earlier this year, several baseball clubs began reserving a limited number of tickets for sale on-site, as older fans preferred purchasing directly from human sellers rather than navigating complex machine interfaces.

Taxi drivers, a significant segment of the workforce, largely rely on ride-hailing apps for their livelihoods, yet over 80 percent of Koreans aged 65 and above remain digitally illiterate.