[iNews24 reporter Kim Dong-hyun] A new book examining the essential cleansing process for a better life after retirement has been published.
Publishers said on the 20th that Retirement Purgatory, a book stressing the critical importance of the ten years before and after retirement, was released on the 16th.
The book draws on the author's expertise as the director of a retirement research institute and on four years of his own retirement experience.
Author Dr. Kim Kyung-rok compares the economic shortfalls, high poverty rates and the quiet erosion of social ties that Korean retirees face to a purgatory. He argues, however, that purgatory can also be a hopeful space for cleansing and progress.
He frames the decade surrounding one’s 60s—the ten years before and after retirement—as a transitional period he calls "retirement purgatory," not hell.
The book proposes 12 survival strategies to resist the pull of retirement purgatory and to land smoothly into a peaceful old age. Those strategies are organized around four pillars: life philosophy, implementation tactics, asset management and spousal relationships.
At the threshold of a century-long lifespan that previous generations never experienced, the book serves as a detailed map and compass to dispel vague fears and guide readers into what the author describes as a new "multiverse." It emphasizes that purgatory is not punishment but an essential cleansing process for launching into a better life for those approaching retirement.
Throughout the text, the author repeatedly emphasizes, "To live a happy life, you must be happy in old age. A good ending makes a good life." He argues that this is precisely why escaping retirement purgatory is crucial.
Huh Seon-ho, vice chairman and CEO of Mirae Asset Securities, said the book's clear insights can help secure the golden window of life's second act and encourage bold steps toward a new multiverse.
Kang Chang-hee, head of the Happy 100-Year Asset Management Research Association, responded positively and recommended the book not only to retirees but also to people in their 40s and 50s who are planning for life after retirement.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kim Kyung-rok previously served as chief fixed-income officer and CEO at Mirae Asset Global Investments. He continues to conduct research, write and lecture to help society meet the challenges of a super-aged population.
