{"id":226902,"date":"2025-12-15T16:23:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=226902"},"modified":"2025-12-15T19:35:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T05:35:44","slug":"south-korean-mou-aging-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/12\/15\/south-korean-mou-aging-research\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> partners with South Korean consortium to foster aging research"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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South Korean’s HUSS<\/abbr> delegation examines a basil plant in Hoʻ\u014dla ʻ\u0100ina<\/span>, a dementia-friendly garden.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span><\/abbr> at M\u0101noa has partnered with Gachon University, part of a consortium of five South Korean universities, to advance research and collaboration on aging and population change. Led by the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Center on Aging<\/a> (COA<\/abbr>) and the Humanities-Utmost-Sharing System (HUSS<\/abbr>), a South Korean government initiative, the agreement fosters mutual learning and international exchange.<\/p>\n

South Korea, one of the fastest-aging societies in the world, offers insights valuable to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the U.S.<\/abbr>During an August visit, a 24-member HUSS<\/abbr> delegation explored COA<\/abbr>\u2019s dementia-friendly Hoʻ\u014dla ʻ\u0100ina<\/span> Pilipili<\/a> garden and met with staff to learn about aging initiatives in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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HUSS<\/abbr> delegation participating in an event sponsored by the Center on Aging.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The memorandom of understanding (MOU<\/abbr>) encourages the exchange of faculty, students, academic information and collaborative research and learning initiatives,” said Jinyoung “Jenny” Lee, COA<\/abbr> assistant researcher. “These exchanges will enhance educational outcomes and promote mutual understanding, particularly around population aging, demographic shifts and inclusive community development.”<\/p>\n

Hyejoong Kim of Gachon University described factors driving Korea\u2019s population decline, including low birthrates, high housing costs, and the challenges of raising children.<\/p>\n

“We now have become a super-aged society. Bolstering resilience and inclusion for diverse generations and environments is central to our vision,” Kim said. “Our aim is to train many students to be experts in population change.”<\/p>\n

Kim added that visiting UH<\/abbr>\u2019s Center on Aging was one of the highlights of the delegation\u2019s trip. The dementia-friendly garden, with its active volunteer engagement, left a strong impression, as such initiatives are rarely found in Korea.<\/p>\n

The collaboration aligns with COA<\/abbr>\u2019s mission to advance applied, translational and community-engaged research focused on Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and the Asia Pacific region. COA<\/abbr> is housed in the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> Manoa signs MOU<\/abbr> with South Korean universities to foster research and collaboration on aging and population change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":226911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[1133,970,1073,1467,1363,596,9],"class_list":["post-226902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-aging","tag-center-on-aging","tag-international-exchange","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-myron-b-thompson-school-of-social-work","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t