• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.1147-1162
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• 2012

Korean laws use several different terms to refer to seniors. This study looks into how older persons are defined in the laws with an aim to critically review the implications of the naming of older persons. For this goal, the laws that have been enforced since 1948 and those effective as of October 20 in 2011 were subject to analysis. The findings of this research are as the following. Korean laws have used a number of terms, including the terms meaning the old and infirm (nosoeja), old individuals (noin, goryeongja, noyeonja), and the old and weak (noyakja). However, such naming does not seem to be based on age. An analysis of noin and goryeongja, two most common terms used in Korea's legal provisions, shows the difference between social perceptions of seniors and the semantic formation of the terms. For example, noin is used in the context in which seniors are viewed rather negatively as subjects of social protection while goryeongja, a relatively neutral term, is preferred when the law sees the elderly as productive resources. It can be said that the perceived social values on senior citizens are reflected in the laws.