"South Korea, Japan, and Singapore are all countries that are aging fairly quickly, but investments to help older people are also very advanced. So I wanted to learn in Korea, and see what kind of collaboration I could do."Aija Mayrock, the youngest participant in the Eisenhower Fellowship in the U.S.
, expressed satisfaction, saying she was able to meet many amazing companies and officials in Korea regarding the field of human aging and life expectancy that she is interested in.
The Eisenhower Fellowship is an international exchange program hosted by the Eisenhower Fellowship Foundation in the United States, designed to broaden the world view and build cultural experiences through individual experiences of traveling to other countries and interacting with professional colleagues.
In July, this year's 10 participants were announced, and with experts from various fields gathering, Meirok was the only participant who aimed to build a media network that emphasized the experiences and challenges of the elderly and attracted attention as the youngest participant.
As a writer, speaker, and founder of a media company dedicated to social advocacy, Mayrock has influence in various fields, and we have heard more about how he became interested in these fields and visited Korea.
YTN met Meirok at YTN's office building in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 14th. "This program is my first visit to Korea," he said. I stayed for a week and met many amazing people," he said, starting his full-fledged story.
First of all, when asked how he felt about being included in this year's list of 10 people, he said, "It was the moment my dream came true. I thought it would be impossible because I didn't meet the age requirements, but I was really surprised and grateful to be on the final list as a result of the application," he said.
Meirock chose South Korea, Japan, and Singapore as the Asian countries to visit through the program. He said, "All three countries are rapidly aging, but they are also very advanced in investment to help the elderly. So I wanted to learn from them and see how I could build a partnership," he said.
"From an investor's point of view, it was amazing to meet companies that are trying to create things that can benefit the lives of the elderly population using AI technology, biotech, and science," Meirok, who met many officials in Korea, said. "We haven't made a final decision yet, but we want to decide which is good in a few weeks."
He also explained how he became interested in this field. Mayrock said: "When I was 22, I had a very close uncle who was 92 years old, and I was in hospital. At that time, I was shocked to see him being treated. I realized that there was no one in the hospital to help the elderly."
He continued, "People tend to misunderstand when they get older as if their lives are over. However, you can live many lives in one life, and being older doesn't mean it's over. There are still a lot of things that can provide a lot of value, so I really wanted to change it through experiences," he said.
Meirock plans to establish a business model under these values and push for the establishment of a new company when it completes its fellowship. "I still have some ideas about what I want to do, but whatever I do, I want to have a positive impact on the lives of the elderly and help them live a healthier and better life," he said.
The prospects for this industry are also bright in the future. Mayrock said, "Aging is progressing very quickly around the world. By 2050, there will be 2.2 billion people over the age of 65, and by 2040 there will be 80 million people over the age of 65 in the United States alone. We expect more demands from us," he said.
Meirock, who has a total of 600,000 followers on various SNS platforms, is introducing what he saw interesting while visiting Asian countries to his followers around the world in short video content. "I only posted videos in Japan because I needed editing time, but I also produced five videos in Korea," he said, stimulating interest.
Finally, he said, "Aging around the world is progressing rapidly, but modern people don't really care much about the elderly. I want to help these people, and under these goals, I want to discover new technologies and companies in Korea and attract them to the U.S. market. I was really happy to come to Korea and learn, and I hope to have more partnerships," he said.
[Photo = YTN Producer Kim Taewook (twk557@ytnplus.co.kr )]
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