The Korean Senior Citizens Association announced that from June 29 to July 9, it is holding the "2026 First Membership Expansion Campaign Awards Ceremony and Meeting" at the Buhyung Taepyeong Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, targeting national federations and branches. The awards ceremony for the Seoul region took place on June 29, followed by the Gyeonggi region on June 30.
The event included a report on the results of the first membership expansion campaign, awards for outstanding federations and branches, an explanation of the campaign plans, and discussions on activation strategies.
The association reported that during the first membership expansion campaign, conducted from February 11 to June 20, it secured 149,872 new members, including 65,528 regular members and 84,344 general members. This brings the total membership to 3,347,628, representing approximately 30% of the senior population.
Lee stated, "To strengthen the status and influence of the Korean Senior Citizens Association as the representative organization for seniors in South Korea, we are prioritizing the membership expansion campaign. The active participation of federation presidents, branch leaders, staff, and senior center presidents has contributed to our success."
He added, "The central office will continue to evaluate membership growth results monthly and provide rewards based on performance. We will intensify our efforts to achieve the goal of 8 million members by September."
The association plans to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the results from July to September at the end of September and provide additional rewards to federations and branches.
Regarding the recent controversy over the subway free ride policy, Lee emphasized, "Raising the age for free rides is a sensitive issue, and social consensus must be reached through public hearings. The current age standard of 65 has not changed. Since this policy applies to seniors nationwide, any significant policy changes must be discussed with the Korean Senior Citizens Association."
Meanwhile, Buhyung Group is also expanding its social contribution activities. Recently, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Military Manpower Administration to provide preferential benefits for leisure facilities to families with a history of military service. Under this agreement, these families will be able to use Buhyung Group's leisure facilities at discounted rates. Additionally, Buhyung Group continues to support initiatives aimed at enhancing senior health and leisure, including sponsoring the "24th President's Cup National Senior Gateball Tournament."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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