[Senior Trend] Living to 100: The Secret of Jangsu Village Longevity

In a survey asking "Do you want to live to 100 years old?", 22% of Japanese people and 51% of Korean people answered yes. Japan has about 90,000 people aged over 100, while Korea has around 10,000. Living longer seems naturally better, so the reason behind this difference is curious. Although Korea is experiencing the world's fastest aging population, its history of aging is shorter than Japan's, so there may still be unknown factors. It seems we are only beginning to contemplate "how to live long" in this era of longevity. This happened recently. In a regular gathering where we share drinks, the topic of "how long can we live" came up. Someone cited the current life expectancy, saying as a woman she expects to live at least to 90. Another friend said living until 80 would be fine, hoping to pass away peacefully without illness.

Dr. David McCarthy and his research team at Georgia State University in the U.S. analyzed human lifespans of natural deaths since 1880. They explained, "Based on the trend of human lifespan extension so far, people born in 1970 can live up to 141 years." They also said, "People born in the 1940s can live up to 125 years." Science channels on YouTube recently claim that half of today's teenagers will live to an average of 104 years. Everyone agrees that lifespan itself is increasing. However, in a recent interview with 104-year-old philosopher Kim Hyung-seok, his comment about "living by mental strength" made me think. He said, "From age 95, the mind leads the body, and mental health carries the physically aging body," and he feels that "living to 120 is difficult." There is an interesting exploration on how to live long and healthy, which I would like to introduce.

In the Netflix series "Living to 100" released last month, author Dan Buettner visited five regions worldwide known as longevity villages. He tried to uncover the secrets of how residents enjoy long lives and vibrant living. The first visit was to Okinawa, Japan. He visited rural areas that have been longevity cities for centuries. First, the topic of eating less came up. There is even a saying called "hara hachi bu," meaning to stop eating when about 80% full. They eat a variety of foods evenly. A unique point is a close-knit social group where villagers pool money to provide financial support in times of difficulty. They maintain close relationships, play instruments together, sing, and dance. Moreover, elders over 90 thread needles, use sewing machines to make clothes, and tend gardens. They do not exercise forcibly but maintain low-intensity physical activity in daily life. Having survived the tragedy of war, the elders spoke of a kind of social mission or sense of purpose called "ikigai." They know the reason for waking up every morning and continue working at 70, 80, or 90 years old without "retirement."

The series also covers an unexpected discovery in Sardinia, Italy. Before the year 2000, Dr. Gianni Pes presented research on a centenarian-dense area at the International Longevity Conference. It was a cliff and mountainous village with inconvenient environments in many ways. Various hypotheses were made about the connection to longevity, and different occupations were investigated. Surveying 300 centenarians, they found that living in a village with slopes required extra energy expenditure. Long-lived couples over 100 were common, with the first reason being the slopes like stairs, the second healthy carbohydrate intake, and the third stress management. Although there was stress in daily life, it was not chronic, and they actively coped with it. Despite being a longevity village, there were no elderly care facilities like nursing homes. The community was based on extended families, and it was natural to take turns caring for each other in small groups. The elderly did not just receive care but also took walks, cooked, and helped relieve family tension and provide stability. Surprisingly, it was once a village with the practice of Goryeo Jang (abandoning elders), but it changed after a case was revealed where a man secretly hid his 70-year-old father and prospered by utilizing the elder’s wisdom.

There is also a story about the American suburban religious village "Loma Linda." Seventh-day Adventists there devote themselves to healthy exercise and lifestyle patterns. Even at 87, they play pickleball for three hours a day. Exercise and community are important, and they emphasize daily habits, often saying, "I do it because someone needs me." They maintain their community centered on activities. In other words, they emphasize physical activity and volunteer work (working for humanity), nutrition through diet management, and true rest as a sanctuary of time through faith. They said the secret is sharing the joy of belonging to a good group.

Where are Korea’s longevity villages? Professor Park Sang-chul of Seoul National University College of Medicine’s research book "Korea’s Centenarians ? 20 Years of Change," which tracked changes in centenarians in Korea’s representative longevity belt regions over the past 20 years, is worth referencing. According to statistics from 2013, 10 years ago, Sunchang-gun in Jeonbuk had the highest ratio of people over 100 per 100,000 population at 28.9%. Residents there also cook with local ingredients, have a mostly vegetarian diet, cultivate chestnuts, and walk a lot. Next were Jeju Island, Damyang, and Hampyeong. The secret to longevity is said to be individual effort rather than the region itself.

Most current centenarians have multiple children to help them, but this will not be the case in the future. National finances also seem clearly limited. Therefore, we must create good lifestyle habits and communities where we can support each other to live healthily and well on our own.

Written by Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age