70% of Elderly Don't Want to Live with Their Children

Seven out of 10 elderly Koreans do not wish to live with their children, and a growing number are paying their own way without relying on their offspring.

This reflects a trend whereby more elderly Koreans remain socially active and refuse to become dependent on others.

Statistics Korea released data last month compiled by surveying 38,000 people and found that 73 percent of senior citizens do not wish to live with their children, as against only 27 percent who do.

In a 2002 survey, only 45.8 percent of elderly people did not want to live with their children.

"As the number of one- or two-person households increase, senior citizens are getting used to living on their own, and the data reflects this trend," said Koh Eun-ji at the LG Economic Research Institute.

In the 2005 survey, 40.9 percent of senior citizens said they lived with their children, while 59.1 percent said they lived alone. But this year 32.2 percent lived with their children and 67.8 percent alone.

Also, the proportion of older people who said they or their spouse earn their spending money rose from 59.1 percent in 2005 to 63.6 percent this year.