One in three South Koreans hope to stay at state-run nursing facilities should their health become impaired in their postretirement years, instead of relying on and living with family members, a study showed Friday.

The statistics indicate a change in the Korean tradition of grown children financially and physically supporting their elderly parents, researchers said.

The study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs surveyed some 1,000 Koreans aged 20-64 last year. Among the participants, the largest proportion of them, 34 percent, said they wanted to stay at facilities run by the government if they can’t take care of themselves due to poor health when they reach old age.

Those who wanted to live alone with financial support from the government’s welfare programs accounted for 18.2 percent. Also, 16.9 percent of all respondents said they hoped to live alone on their own or with their spouses even if their health becomes frail in their old age.

When asked what they would like to do in case their parents experience difficulty performing everyday tasks due to old age, 30 percent said they would like to have their parents at government facilities. A higher proportion of them, 34 percent, said they would like to live with their parents while receiving government support and subsidies.



By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)