[Photo] Elderly demand Basic Livelihood Benefit cuts be ruled unconstitutional

A group of elderly citizens held a demonstration in front of the Constitutional Court in the Jongno District of Seoul on Nov. 28 to demand that cuts to Basic Livelihood Benefits be ruled unconstitutional. Basic Livelihood Benefits are distributed to the poorest of seniors in an effort to alleviate elderly poverty. During the 2012 presidential campaign, then-candidate Park Geun-hye pledged to provide all seniors with a pension of 200,000 won (US$185) per month, but when the legislation was passed following her election, recipients of Basic Livelihood Benefits found that their payouts were reduced by a corresponding amount, meaning that their net income remained the same. The issue is currently under consideration by the Constitutional Court. (by Baek So-ah, staff photographer)