A Couple Celebrates Their 80th Anniversary

Thanks to modern medicine, celebrating golden wedding anniversaries is common. But, what about the 60th, 70th, or even 80th anniversary? One couple did.

Song Byung-ho and Sung Won-keum, of Keumsan-kun, South Chunchong Province were both born in 1905 and married September 1, 1920, both were 15 years old.

Their arranged marriage was anything but blissful in the beginning. Sung felt uncomfortable and avoided conversation for the first 10 years. All she could do was prepare his dinner when he returned from elementary school in the evenings. When her husband left for Japan to earn extra money, they lost all contact. Only when Song returned to Korea and become a farmer did the couple begin a 'normal' husband-wife relationship.

For 67 years, the couple farmed rice plants and ginseng. They produced 6 children and now have 32 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren.

Besides the occasional mild backache, both are in good health. They explain that the secret to good health is optimistic thinking. "I've always tried to take things easy. Also, maybe ginseng helped keep me healthy," said Sung.

Kumsan-kun opened a Korean traditional wedding ceremony for Song and Sung's 80th anniversary on August 30.

by Kim Bang-hyun