Korea’s labor market is caught in a generational dilemma. Young people continue to struggle to land their first jobs, while older workers are hoping to stay on the payroll for longer, as pension income often falls short of what they need for retirement. As the country rapidly ages, policymakers are pursuing a gradual increase in the statutory retirement age from 60 to 65. This prospect has raised a difficult question: Are older workers staying in the workforce at the expense of the younger generation’s first break? A recent survey by the Economic, Social and Labor Council, a presidential advisory body, found that 77 percent of 878 respondents believed Korea needed an employment system that could better accommodate both older and younger workers. But there is little consensus yet on what that would look like in practice. How can the country make room for two generations to coexist when their needs are increasingly colliding in the job market? Job market pulling in opposite directions The number of employed people aged 55 to 79 reached 10.13 million in May, surpassing 10 million for the