Recommendation 4
Acknowledgements 6
Author's Preface 8
Prologue_2025: South Korea on the Verge of a Super-Aged Society 19

Part 1: The Coming Crisis: The Productivity Cliff and Social Shock 27
Chapter 1: A Shock After 7 Years: The World's Fastest Entering a Super-Aged Society 28
1.
The Irony of Compressed Aging After Compressed Growth 28
2.
What it means for 20.6% of people aged 65 and over in 2025
3.
Unprepared Social System 31
Chapter 2: The Productivity Cliff: A Time Bomb for the South Korean Economy 34
1.
34 The disappearance of 9 million working-age population
2.
Baby Boomer Retirement and the Loss of Skills 36
3.
Fear of a potential growth rate of 0% 38
Chapter 3: The Old-Age Poverty Trap: The OECD's Worst Reality 42
1.
The Tragedy of the 40.4% Elderly Poverty Rate 42
2.
National Pension Fund Depletion Scenario 44 by 2055
3.
The 'Poor Rich' and Wealth Imbalance 45
4.
There is hope 48
Chapter 4: The Care Catastrophe: The Double Collapse of Family and Society 50
1.
The Tragic Reality of "Nonocare" 50
2.
51 Care Gap for 300,000 People Waiting for Nursing Homes
3.
Increase in caregiving homicides and suicides 53
4.
A bud of hope is sprouting 55
5.
It's our tomorrow, 56
Chapter 5: The Generational War: The Zero-Sum Game of Youth vs. Old Age 57
1.
Generational Conflict Surrounding Jobs 57
2.
The Unfair Structure of Pension Burden 59
3.
61 Cross-Sections of Conflict Revealed by Subway Free Riding
4.
Beyond Conflict to Coexistence 63
5.
Our Choice 64

Part 2: A Paradigm Shift: A New Perspective on the Elderly 65
Chapter 6: Active Seniors: From Supported Persons to Economic Entities
1.
The Collapse of the 65-Year-Old Myth 66
2.
The Emergence of the Digital Senior 68
3.
58% of consumer spending is driven by those over 50.
4.
70 New Markets Created by Active Seniors
5.
A paradigm shift is needed. 72
6.
Our Future Is Here 72
Chapter 7: The Value of Experience: Rediscovering Mastery and Wisdom 74
1.
The Importance of Tacit Knowledge 74
2.
Crisis Management Skills and Insights 75
3.
The Economic Value of Mentoring and Coaching 76
4.
77 Things We're Missing
5.
78 Towards a society that recognizes the value of experience
Chapter 8: Silvernomics: The Birth of a 125 Trillion Won Market
1.
The global silver market is worth $15 trillion.
2.
From healthcare to leisure, endless possibilities 81
3.
Blue Ocean 82: 500,000 New Jobs
4.
Success Proves Possibility 83
5.
Lesson 84 We Must Learn
Chapter 9: The End of Retirement: The Advent of Lifelong Active Service 86
1.
The Anachronism of Retirement at 60 86
2.
Flexible work and gradual retirement 87
3.
A New Work-Life Balance 89
4.
Performance of an organization with no retirement age 90
5.
The Need for a New Social Contract 90

Part 3: The World's Choice: Strategies for Responding to a Super-Aging Society 93
Chapter 10: Japan: Surviving a 28.9% Aging Population 94
1.
Mandatory employment until age 70 94
2.
The Meister System and Skill Transmission 96
3.
600,000 service-type senior housing units 98
4.
101 Lessons from Japan
Chapter 11: Germany: The Secret to a 67-Year Retirement Age and a 61.8% Employment Rate
1.
Lesson 103 from the Gradual Retirement Age Extension
2.
Intergenerational Tandem Program 105
3.
Community-Based Care System 107
4.
110 Success Factors of the German Model
Chapter 12: Singapore: Revolutionizing Lifelong Employability 111
1.
SkillsFuture for Seniors 111
2.
Silver Startup Incubation 114
3.
Asia Silver Hub Strategy 117
4.
Implications of the Singapore Model 119
Chapter 13: Israel: The Front Line of the Gerontech Revolution 121
1.
What is Gerontech? 121
2.
Industrialization of Age-Friendly Technology 122
3.
Government R&D investment of $500 million per year 125
4.
Global Export Success Story 128
5.
Evolution and Support of the Legal System 132
6.
The Israeli Model's Success Factors and Future 133

Part 4: Korea's Solution: 135 Concrete, Viable Alternatives
Chapter 14: Leveraging the Aging Workforce: Turning Experience into an Asset 136
1.
Introducing a Optional Retirement Age Extension: From Uniform Retirement to Customized Continuing Work
2.
Building a Silver Talent Platform: Connecting Experiences and Opportunities 140
3.
Training 10,000 Industrial Professors: Passing the Experience on to the Next Generation 143
4.
Towards a Society That Turns Experience into Assets 148
Chapter 15: Fostering the Silver Industry: A New Growth Engine 150
1.
Introduction: 150 Present Choices to Prepare for the Future
2.
Roadmap for Legal and Regulatory Improvement 151
3.
Construction of 100,000 Public Silvertown Units: A New Paradigm for Senior Housing
4.
Digital Healthcare Regulatory Innovation: The Future of Telemedicine 155
5.
Silver Food Customized Nutrition Market: Eating is Medicine 157
6.
The Future the Silver Industry Can Create 159
Chapter 16: The Care Revolution: From Family to Society 162
1.
Introduction: Sharing the Burden of Care 162
2.
Structural Limitations of the Current Care System 164
3.
Roadmap for Legal and Regulatory Improvement 167
4.
Nationwide expansion of township and district care centers: 168 care centers within a 10-minute walk
5.
Deploying 100,000 Care Robots: Technology and Human Collaboration 173
6.
Switching to a Monthly Salary System for Nursing Assistants: Recognizing the Value of Care Work 178
7.
The Future Created by an Integrated Care System 182
8.
Mountain 184 We Must Overcome
9.
Conclusion: Toward a Society Where Care is Respected 185
Chapter 17 Financial Innovation: Turning Assets into Cash 187
1.
Introduction: The Paradox of the Rich and Poor Elderly 187
2.
Reverse Mortgage Activation: Turning Your Home into a Pension 192
3.
Popularizing Trust Services: Protecting Your Assets 201
4.
Pension Reform Roadmap: Securing Sustainable Retirement Income 210
5.
Conclusion: From Asset-Based Poverty to Cash-Based Abundance 219
Chapter 18: Local Regeneration: The Potential of Silver Migration 221
1.
Introduction: The Paradox of an Empty Province and a Full Capital Region 221
2.
10 Silver-Specialized Cities: Creating Senior-Friendly Regions 224
3.
30 Million Won in Immigration Support: Promoting Silver Immigration 231
4.
Building Retirement Villages: Communities for Growing Old Together 236
5.
Government-led retirement village development plan 238
6.
Comprehensive Strategies for Silver Immigration Success 244
7.
Conclusion: Balanced Development and a Happy Retirement 246

Part 5: Designing the Future: Creating the 100-Year Era Together 249
Chapter 19: Generational Integration: From Zero-Sum to Mutual Growth 250
1.
Introduction: The Nature of Generational Conflict and the Need for Transition 250
2.
A model for youth-senior employment: From competition to cooperation 250
3.
Intergenerational Knowledge Exchange Systems: Where Experience Meets Innovation 252
4.
A New Social Compromise: Sustainable Intergenerational Coexistence 254
5.
Conclusion: Towards a Future of Coexistence 257
Chapter 20: The 100-Year Life: A New Life Cycle 259
1.
Introduction: A Paradigm Shift, the Advent of the Centenarian Era 259
2.
Designing the Three Acts of Life: Implementing a Multi-Stage Life 259
3.
Lifelong Learning and Encore Careers: Continuous Reinvention 262
4.
The Key to Well-Aging: Aging with Dignity 265
5.
Conclusion: New Possibilities for a 100-Year-Old Life 268
Chapter 21: Leading Silvernomics: South Korea's Vision 270
1.
Introduction: Turning Crisis into Opportunity: South Korea's Strategic Choices 270
2.
First Mover Advantage: The Leader's Premium 271
3.
Building an Asian Silver Hub: The Heart of a Billion Senior Market 273
4.
The Globalization of K-Silver Care: The Birth of a New Korean Wave 276
5.
Conclusion: The Future of South Korea, a Silvernomics Powerhouse 279

Epilogue: A Super-Aging Society: Hope, Not Despair 284
Appendix 289
Appendix 1: Individual Checklist for Preparing for a Super-Aged Society 290
Appendix 2: Retirement Preparation Guide by Age Group 299
Appendix 3: 50 Silver Industry Startup Ideas 305
Reference 316

In 2025, South Korea will enter a super-aged society, with people aged 65 and over accounting for over 20% of the population.
Many consider this a national disaster.
They predict that pensions will be depleted, health care costs will skyrocket, and growth will stall.
But is that really true?

The decisive factor that led me to write this book was the words of a venture capitalist I met in Silicon Valley.
"If Korea were to be the first to experience a super-aging society, wouldn't it be the first to develop solutions? Wouldn't that be the greatest business opportunity of the 21st century?"

He was right.
A crisis is an opportunity.
Especially, a crisis that you experience before others can become a greater opportunity.
Just as it did in semiconductors, shipbuilding, and automobiles, South Korea can now lead the world in "silvernomics."

This book is not simply a warning or a voice of concern.
We present specific and feasible Korean solutions.
We aim to provide individuals with a compass for life planning as we enter the age of 100, companies with new business opportunities, and governments with a policy roadmap.

Above all, the message I want to convey through this book is hope.
A super-aged society is not an end, but a new beginning.
The 100-year economy we will create will be an inclusive growth model where all generations, regardless of age, grow and prosper together.