Nearly 3 in 10 South Korean seniors work due to the lack of preparation for old age, with most of them doing so to earn a living, a poll showed Friday.

The survey of 10,299 South Koreans aged 65 and older, taken by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs between April-November 2017, showed 30.9 percent are currently engaging in economic activity.

Nearly 50 percent said they are not economically active at present though they have worked in the past, with 9.8 percent saying they have never worked in their entire life.

An additional 9.4 percent replied they hope to engage in economic activity in the future though they don‘t have jobs at the moment.

The welfare ministry commissioned the institute to conduct the triennial survey on the welfare of senior South Koreans. It is the ministry’s third poll of its kind.

According to the findings, of those still working, 72 percent of the respondents said they engage in economic activity to make a living. The percentage was down from 79.3 percent in 2014.

An additional 11.5 percent replied they work to earn pocket money, up from 8.6 percent three years earlier.

Others said they engage in economic activity to keep in shape, kill time, take advantage of their past experiences, show their ability or make friends.

Slightly over 40 percent of the respondents said they have manual labor jobs, followed by seniors engaging in farming and fishing (32.9 percent). (Yonhap)