115-Year-Old Woman Born During King Gojong's Reign... Recognized as the World's Oldest Person

Maria Branyas Morera living in Spain
On Twitter, she said, "I am old, but not a fool"

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] A 115-year-old woman living in Spain has been recognized as the world's oldest person and entered into the Guinness World Records.

According to the US CNN broadcast on the 26th (local time), Maria Branyas Morera (115), who lives at the Santa Maria del Tura nursing home in Olot, Catalonia, Spain, has claimed the title of the world's oldest person.

Morera Twitter Capture

Born in the United States on March 4, 1907, she will celebrate her 116th birthday this coming March. When Morera was born, Emperor Gojong of the Korean Peninsula was forcibly abdicated and Emperor Sunjong ascended the throne. In the US, it was four years after the Wright brothers made and flew the world's first powered airplane in 1903. Morera was already 2 years old in 1909, the year the ill-fated Titanic, which sank carrying over 2,200 people, was built.

Despite her advanced age, Morera remains vigorous and continues to communicate with thousands of fans via Twitter. Her Twitter account bio reads, "I am old. Very old, but not a fool." Morera was born in San Francisco one year after her family emigrated from Mexico to the United States.

Later, in 1915 during World War I, her family boarded a ship crossing the Atlantic to return to their homeland Spain, but tragically, her father died at sea during the voyage. Morera also lost hearing in one ear due to the accident at that time.

Morera contracted COVID-19 in May 2020 but soon recovered her health. She has three children, eleven grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren, and her youngest daughter is 78 years old.

On the 21st, Morera stated on Twitter, "I am surprised and grateful for the world's attention to me," but also said she is stressed by excessive attention and will no longer do media interviews. She added, "I need peace and tranquility," and "I have lived at the Tura nursing home for 22 years, and I hope the daily lives of the people living with me and the staff who take care of us do not change."

According to Guinness World Records, the current longest-lived person in the world was Jeanne Louise Calment from France, born on February 21, 1875, who lived beyond 122 years.