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By Kwon Mee-yoo
The Korea Times celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, reaching this milestone number, which was traditionally considered the benchmark age of longevity in Korea.
The number has various meanings. It is a symbolic number of longevity, with big celebrations held in honor of those turning 70. In Korea, the number also relates to the 1970s, a crucial moment in the country's turbulent modern history.
Being 70 years old
Traditionally a person turning 70 years old was called "gohui" in Korean, or the "Rare Age of the Olden Times," as written in Chinese poet Du Fu's poem "Meandering River." In the poem, Du Fu wrote, "It has ever been rare for man to live to 70."
"Confucius also mentioned being 70 in The Analects, saying 'At 70, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing the boundaries of right,'" said Lee Bae-yong, the chairperson of the Seowon Conservation and Management Foundation. "As you see being 70 is the age you get everything balanced and what you do does not overstep the line. However, it was the standard of the past and we might need some more time to attain such maturity with longer life expectancy."
Lee is a historian who has served as president of Ewha Womans University and the Academy of Korean Studies. She became the first woman to serve the first drink at "hyangsa," an ancestral rite at Seowon (Korean neo-Confucian academy) this Chuseok.
Lee, 73, said 70 years might be a fleeting moment in the long history of humanity, but there are many ups and downs within the journey.
"As ancient sages said, those who have gone through 70 years have certain unwavering values within them. The footsteps of 70 years are worth it," Lee said.
She shared her wisdom from passing 70. "Nowadays, being 70 is not the end of life, but a new passage. When you look back on your life, you have done many things, but there still is much to do. Experience cannot be bought and wisdom grows out of the 70 years of experience," Lee said.
Sign of longevity
"In the past, our ancestors tended to relate the number 70 with lifespan. Back then, the average life expectancy was shorter and the infant mortality rate was higher, thus reaching the age of 70 was considered a milestone," a researcher at the National Museum of Korea (NMK) said.
In Korea, age 70 was the benchmark figure of a long life, as seen in epitaph tablets from the 918-1392 Goryeo era.
Among the collection from the National Museum of Korea, the epitaph of Goryeo official Seo Gong (?-1171) reads, "As he passed the age of 70, he did not die young; and as he served both as a civil and military official, his position was not low."
Another epitaph tablet of Yi Il-rang, wife of Kim Yu-sin (?-1192), says she "did her duty by serving one man in her life. The age of 70 is difficult to achieve, but this woman reached the age."
Family members of those who lived past 70 held feasts to celebrate the great age. The records of personal birthday ceremonies for the elderly start to appear in the 1392-1910 Joseon era as scholars pursued Confucianism which places high value on filial duty.
"Suyeonrye" ― a birthday feast for the elderly ― was typically offered for those older than 60 every 10 years. The ceremonial feasts were held for royalty as well as aristocratic families and commoners.
"Sinchuk Jinchando," a 10-panel folding screen painting, portrays the 70th birthday banquet in 1901 of Queen Hyojeong, who was grand queen dowager of King Gojong. The banquet ran for days and each panel shows different days of the banquet held at Gyeongun Palace, now renamed as Deoksu Palace.
Following the characteristics of Joseon-era court ceremonial paintings, it is drawn from a bird's-eye view to describe the palace building and human figures. As the banquet was held during the 1897-1910 Korean Empire period, some of the details reflect the changes of the times such as objects such as bedding and clothes being gold in color, instead of the traditional red, and the appearance of the Taegeukgi (the national flag of Korea) in the second panel. The 10th panel features names of the government officials who organized the ceremony.
In ancient Korean kingdoms, government officials typically retired by the age of 70 as well.
"For senior officials over 70 years old to remain in the post, they had to be granted with a staff and a chair from the king," the researcher said.
Since it was rare for people of Joseon to live to 70 regardless of position, the king showed respect for the elderly officials by bestowing the staff and chair and throwing a banquet for them.
The 1668 album of paintings "Gwejang Yeonhoedo" shows Yi Gyeong-seok and his colleagues at a banquet celebrating Yi being awarded with the king's staff and chair.
"However, 70 was not the end of the world for them. They called 71-year-olds 'mangpal,' which means expecting 80," the researcher added.
The significance of the 70th birthday changes over time. Hoegap, or the 60th birthday, was celebrated the most in the past as it completes a sexagenary cycle. However, as average life expectancy increases, more people celebrate 70th and 80th birthdays.
"Ceremonies celebrating one's birthday after 60 years old originated from showing respect to the elderly when people lived much shorter lives than nowadays," folklorist Kim Man-tae said. "Previously, it served as a rite of passage for becoming a senior citizen, but the meaning has changed as people are expected to live longer. In modern times, people celebrate their 60th or 70th birthday in a small family party or take a trip in commemoration."
The 1970s
Meanwhile, the number 70 also reminds of the accidents and incidents of the 1970s under the Park Chung-hee administration
"In the 1970s, two conflicting phenomena were occurring simultaneously. In terms of economy, Korea went through rapid grow upon industrialization, resulting in double-digit growth," said Ban Byung-yule, history professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
"However, politically, democracy backed away under Park Chung-hee's Yushin regime."
Park came to power through a military coup d'etat in 1961 and was elected president in 1963. In 1972, he declared martial law and announced the Yushin Constitution, a highly authoritarian document. In 1979, Park was assassinated by his security chief, putting an end to his 18-year reign.
Under Park's regime, Korea went through rapid development. In July 1970, the Gyeongbu Expressway was opened. The 428-kilometer highway connected the capital Seoul and the second-largest southern city of Busan, enabling travel across South Korea in a single day.
Seoul Metro Line 1 also started operation in the 1970s. Originally named Jongno Line, it opened in August 1974, becoming the first subway system in South Korea.
Those who were born in 1970 turn 50 this year. Kang Hak-joong, director of the Institute of Family in Seoul, said those who are in their 50s now have many hardships.
"Their children are likely to be in high school or university and their parents are still alive without income. The 50s are in the in-between generation in which they have to pay their children's high education expenses while supporting their elderly parents. However, their careers are on the verge with enforcement of voluntary retirement," Kang said.
