Spousal abuse of elderly rises for 5th straight year

The share of elder abuse cases committed by a spouse has risen every year for the past five years, according to a government report released Friday.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare published its 2025 Elder Abuse Status Report, which analyzes abuse reports and cases received by 39 specialized elder protection agencies nationwide throughout 2025.

A total of 26,578 elder abuse reports were filed through the 39 regional agencies last year, of which 7,973 — about 30 percent — were determined to constitute actual abuse.

Total reports rose 16.8 percent from the previous year, while confirmed abuse cases increased 11.2 percent over the same period.

Most abuse occurred in the home, accounting for 7,076 cases, or 88.7 percent of the total. Residential care facilities accounted for 614 cases (7.7 percent), followed by day-use facilities at 87 cases (1.1 percent).

Home-based abuse cases rose by 753, an 11.9 percent increase, while facility-based cases grew by 54 to reach 701, up 8.3 percent.

Spouses were the most common perpetrators, responsible for 3,563 cases (39.4 percent), followed by sons at 2,123 cases (23.5 percent). The ranking reversed from 2021, when sons topped the list ahead of spouses, and the spousal share has consistently grown since.

Elderly couples living together were the most common household type in which abuse occurred, accounting for 42.3 percent of cases. Households where elderly parents live with their children accounted for 27.7 percent, and elderly people living alone for 15.8 percent. The share involving elderly couples has continued to rise.

Officials attributed the trend to an aging population that has produced more elderly couples, a growing preference among older Koreans to live independently from their children, and easier access to reporting — the elder abuse prevention app "Nabisaegim (Elder Guardian)" has surpassed 50,000 users, lowering the barrier for victims to come forward.

Victims in their 70s accounted for the largest share of abuse cases at 3,376 (42.3 percent), followed by those in their 80s at 2,105 (26.4 percent) and those in their 60s at 2,074 (26.0 percent).

Repeat abuse cases totaled 884, a slight increase of 8.9 percent from 812 the previous year, though their share of all confirmed elder abuse cases edged down 0.2 percentage points to 11.1 percent.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it plans to encourage more abuse reporting, strengthen repeat-abuse prevention and better protect elderly victims in response to the rising numbers.

The ministry has already added nursing assistants and social workers employed at medical institutions to the list of professionals legally required to report elder abuse, and will continue improving the Nabisaegim app. Throughout June, it is also running an "Elder Abuse Prevention and Eradication Campaign" in cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency and other relevant agencies.

The ministry will also expand its round-the-clock monitoring system for high-risk households — those at elevated risk of repeat abuse — by continuing to deploy AI counselors and ICT-based remote monitoring devices even after formal case management has concluded.

Starting this year, long-term care facilities found to have committed abuse by a specialized elder protection agency will have their evaluation rating lowered by one level and be excluded from bonus payment eligibility. The ministry also plans to continue expanding elder abuse prevention infrastructure and strengthen working conditions for care workers.

"The government will continue to tighten its elder abuse prevention system — by expanding the pool of mandatory reporters, strengthening follow-up care through AI monitoring for abuse victims, and widening the distribution of ICT devices for those at risk of repeat abuse — so that seniors can live out their later years in safety," said Eun Seong-ho, director general of the ministry's Population and Social Services Policy Bureau.