How one South Korean granny found fame as a model, bridging the nation’s generational divide at the same time
- South Korea’s elderly have lived through Japanese colonial rule, the Korean war, severe post-war poverty and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis
- Models in their 60s and 70s have captured the imagination of South Korean youth, providing a link between generations divided politically and socially
Aged 70 she was working 20 hours a day in a hospital just to make ends meet.
“I think of having this job at this age as a miracle,” Choi says.
She is now the oldest professional model in the South, and has walked the runway at Seoul Fashion Week. It is a far cry from her life even just a few years ago when she was a care worker, forced to take long shifts often seven days a week.
“It was hard to even get myself lunch. The stress was excruciating – it was as if a volcano was about to erupt inside me,” she confesses, adding that she was in heavy debt and all her earnings were spent paying off loans.
Around 45 per cent of older people in South Korea live in relative poverty and the country has one of the weakest social safety nets among developed nations.
By chance, Choi saw a TV commercial about senior models and saw an opportunity to make a change. She decided to enrol in classes and was snapped by agency The Show Project and made catwalk debut soon after.