“Back in School Uniforms After 70 Years”: Long-Lived Couples Celebrate Their 100th-Birthday Festival
Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Ninety-two couples from Gurye, Gokseong, Sunchang and Damyang attended a longevity festival in school uniforms, recreating a school-day memory from decades ago.
- The four counties invited 48 couples and their families as part of a joint initiative that has promoted longevity culture since 2003.
- Participants celebrated together, shared health habits and expressed hopes for long, healthy lives.
“I wore a school uniform again after 70 years, and it feels good,” said one of the more than 80-year-old couples entering the Gugoksundam 100th-Birthday Festival in black uniforms.
I wore a school uniform again after 70 years, and it feels good.
The 15th festival brought together 92 couples from Gurye, Gokseong, Sunchang and Damyang. The name Gugoksundam combines the first syllables of the four counties, known in South Korea as a longevity region. Some couples held hands as they entered, while others smiled brightly without doing so.
The county heads joined the event in uniforms with “county head” armbands, and local council leaders wore military-training uniforms. Gokseong hosted the celebration this year under the theme, “After living a life, I have learned that laughter is the best medicine.” Guests posed for photographs with hand hearts, clapped along to the trot song “How About My Age?” and watched a traditional outdoor theatrical performance.
It is a place where lonely older people can all gather, talk and laugh together.
Kim Cheol-su, 86, from Gokseong, said the event gave lonely older people a chance to gather, talk and laugh. Hur Tae-wook, 85, from Gurye, joked that he was receiving this kind of treatment after living a long life. Families also joined the celebration. One ceremony saw husbands present flowers to their wives, followed by wives kissing their husbands on the cheek while relatives took photographs.
After living a long life, I get to receive this kind of treatment.
The counties have operated the Longevity Belt Administrative Council together since 2003. Participants cited regular exercise, avoiding overeating, peace of mind and conversation as shared habits for staying healthy. Han Gwang-seok, 90, Gurye’s oldest husband at the event, said he hoped to live healthily and happily through the 10 years remaining until his 100th birthday.
I will live healthily and happily for the 10 years left until I turn 100.
About this summary
Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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