• 한국노년학
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.143-168
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• 2018

While there were posed arguments that social treatment to older persons should be based on the perspective of human rights turning into the 21st century, policy efforts to protect and promote the rights of older persons in international community have slowly proceeded. In this situation existing studies on the rights of older persons in the international perspective have been fragmented in their contents, lacking systematic overview of policy efforts to strengthen the rights of older persons in international community. This study aims to be the one that could be such a systematic study to overview international policy efforts to strengthen the rights of older persons through analyzing the background of posing the problem of the rights of older persons, problems in existing international norms for human rights applicable to older persons, and measures to strengthen the rights of older persons and controversial issues. Existing international norms on human rights that are Universal Declaration of Human Rights, international conventions on the rights in terms of area of rights and target population, and policy recommendations, are narrow in the scope of rights to be protected, and also lack legal force in their implementation. The international community has generally reached a consensus on strengthening the rights of older persons. However, there have been two different positions: strengthening existing norms on human rights versus creating a new convention on the rights of older persons. And also there have appeared many controversial points in both positions. Conclusively this study, arguing the creation of a new convention, suggests implications for Korean society and research studies.