SEOUL - A prestigious university in rapidly ageing South Korea is preparing to launch courses to help senior citizens get the most out of retirement, officials said Monday.

The plan was unveiled by Seoul National University chief Lee Jang-Moon last week at a meeting with his counterpart from the University of Tokyo, school officials said, adding a pilot programme is due as early as this autumn.

It will initially be a short-term course but eventually develop into an academic degree programme, they said.

The university currently runs non-degree courses for the general public but not a programme exclusively for retirees.

"It is time to research how to spend a fruitful post-retirement period," Lee was quoted as saying last week.

After years of promoting family planning in the crowded nation of 48.6 million, South Korea in recent years has become increasingly alarmed at its ageing society.

The country's birthrate - the average number of babies born during a woman's lifetime - remained near the world's lowest at 1.19 last year. Fears are growing that the population will start shrinking within a decade.