Main content

South Korea: Sex in the Sunset Years

Why are some older South Korean women are turning to prostituion?

It is the generation that raised South Korea from the ashes of war to one of the richest, most technologically advanced countries on earth. Even without a Confucian tradition of filial piety, you would think they would at least be made comfortable in their old age. But they are not. South Korea has the highest rates of suicide and relative poverty among senior citizens in the rich world. For some this has meant finding a second career to make ends meet. In Jongmyo Park in Seoul, Lucy Williamson finds an old profession getting some surprising new recruits.

(Photo: A mural depicting an elderly man and woman kissing, taken in Seoul, South Korea. ´óÏó´«Ã½ copyright)

Available now

25 minutes

Last on

Thu 12 Jun 2014 23:32GMT

Drinking and playing

Drinking and playing

Here’s the 82-year-old who told us he was out for an afternoon of ‘drinking and playing’ in Seoul’s Jongmyo Park. Lots of retired men gather here for the same reason. They say it beats staying home alone. Now a growing number of older women are gathering as well - not to play, but to earn money by selling sex.

Broadcasts

  • Thu 12 Jun 2014 03:32GMT
  • Thu 12 Jun 2014 08:06GMT
  • Thu 12 Jun 2014 14:32GMT
  • Thu 12 Jun 2014 19:06GMT
  • Thu 12 Jun 2014 23:32GMT

Download this programme

Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes