Goheung-gun County Chief Kong Yeong-min greets elderly residents and urges them to take care of their health at a rural medical outreach bus event held Thursday at Pungyang Elementary School gymnasium. [Photo by Goheung-gun]
Goheung-gun County Chief Kong Yeong-min greets elderly residents and urges them to take care of their health at a rural medical outreach bus event held Thursday at Pungyang Elementary School gymnasium. [Photo by Goheung-gun]

Goheung-gun in South Jeolla Province has been confirmed as the county with the highest concentration of centenarians among all 226 cities, counties and districts in South Korea for the second consecutive year.

According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics, formerly Statistics Korea, Goheung-gun had 91.8 residents aged 100 or older per 100,000 people as of the end of 2025 — the highest rate in the country.

In response to its notably aged population, the county has committed 20.9 billion won ($15 million) to providing jobs for senior residents, offering positions to 5,460 elderly people with no waiting list.

Since last year, the county has also distributed annual "Youth Vouchers" worth 60,000 won to residents aged 80 and older, redeemable at local bathhouses, barbershops and hair salons.

Since March this year, the county has been operating an integrated care service, actively developing tailored programs to help elderly residents live healthy lives in their own communities.

Goheung-gun also became the first in the country to introduce a dedicated primary care physician system for older adults, offering free health checkups to residents 65 and older, alongside a range of welfare services including a family wellness check service and a public laundry service.

"In our county, residents aged 65 and older account for 48 percent of the population, and the foundation of our elderly welfare policy is making Goheung the happiest place in the country for seniors to live," County Chief Kong Yeong-min said. "We will continue to actively pursue a wide range of welfare policies so that our elderly residents can enjoy a healthy and happy retirement, drawing on Goheung's clean natural environment and abundant local food."


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