The Seniors' Hongik University: Finding Youth in the Twilight Years at Seoul's Jegi-dong, Enjoyable for Only 20,000 Won a Day

Episode 937 Documentary Three Days>

Midday Disco - Seoul Jegi-dong 72 Hours

Narrated by actress Yeom Hye-ran.. 'Silver Hongik University' Seoul Jegi-dong, 72 hours recording the youth of those in their twilight years

Broadcast: Monday, September 14, 2026, at 8:30 PM on KBS 2TV

Time flows equally for everyone. We age a little more every day, and eventually, we all become elderly.

As we get older, there are moments when we are pushed one step away from the center of the world. Leaving familiar workplaces, living in a world where streets and shops seem to be occupied entirely by young people. The days of the elderly grow longer, but there is no proper place to spend those long days.

That is why some neighborhoods become special. Places where you aren't bored even if you go alone, where you can spend the whole day without much money, and where you can mingle unreservedly with people you meet for the first time. Seoul's Jegi-dong, called the 'Seniors' Hongik University,' is such a place.

Along the approximately 700m stretch from Jegi-dong Station to Cheongnyangni Station, seniors who know how to have fun gather on this path. A place where joyful music flows from somewhere even in broad daylight. We meet them in 'Midday Disco - Seoul Jegi-dong 72 Hours.'

There is a neighborhood for the elderly

For seniors, the subway is a reliable foot that connects them to the world. If they board without the burden of fares, they can go anywhere in Seoul. The place where those footsteps gather most frequently is Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. Among the passengers boarding at Jegi-dong Station, 47.2%, nearly half, are senior passengers aged 65 or older receiving preferential treatment. One can easily encounter white-haired seniors starting from the turnstiles. What is the reason so many seniors visit here?

On the approximately 700m stretch from Jegi-dong Station to Cheongnyangni Station, traditional markets where nine markets meet and cheap eateries bustle with human vitality. Old tea houses and billiard halls also welcome regulars. In a billiard hall where the daily usage fee is just 6,000 won with no time limit, one quickly becomes close even with a stranger. The reason they visit Jegi-dong is likely not just because it is cheap.

"Which child would take us to the places we want to go every single day? Right? Everyone says that. They say the subway is better than their children" - Kim Yun-ja, 72 years old

If young people head to Hongik University on a burning Friday, there is also a place for seniors to spend a 'Burning Friday.' It is the 'Collatec' (dance halls) in the Jegi-dong and Cheongnyangni areas.

The seniors' Burning Friday begins in broad daylight when the sun is high in the sky. As seniors dressed up to their fullest enter the Collatec one by one, a wide dance hall unfolds where colorful lights spin and music continues without pause. The moment when warmth passes through joined fingertips and they match the rhythm with each other's toes. In that moment, they feel more vividly alive than ever. It is a moment of facing youth, which was thought to have set, blooming again in the twilight.

"I call this area 'Silver Hongik University.' Is there anywhere else where you can spend time happily by spending just 20,000 won a day?" - Lee Sang Yoon, 67 years old (During Collatec interview)

The protagonist of life is still 'Me'

The day in Jegi-dong starts early. Even at 5 AM when the streets are still dark, the market is bustling with people preparing for the day. Among them, there are many seniors who still guard their workplaces even though they are over seventy.

Some head to work for their livelihood, others for the vitality of the day. Though the reasons differ, having work to do and a place waiting for them keeps their days moving. Getting older does not mean one must step down from the stage of life. The seniors of Jegi-dong, who work in their places, meet people, and fill their days even today. The protagonist of life is still themselves.

The face of old age that everyone will encounter

Walking the streets of Jegi-dong, one suddenly realizes. These seniors are the faces of tomorrow that someone will eventually reach. Within the sight of them living through each day in their own way, the sketch of the old age that everyone will encounter is contained.

Getting older will not be just a matter of fading away. Just as the sunset emits the deepest light at the end of the day, the time lived long makes a person deeper and clearer. What they like, who they want to be with, and how they want to spend their remaining time also becomes a little clearer.

"In my 10s and 20s, I lived without knowing the ways of the world, in my 30s and 40s, I thought the world was my world, in my 50s and 60s, I felt my heart ripening, and as I approach 80, I see that not much of life is left, so my principle is to live hard, doing my best until the day I go, every single day" - Jin Chung-su, 74 years old

The narration is handled by actress Yeom Hye-ran. She conveys the stories of the Jegi-dong seniors with a friendly yet deep voice.

'Midday Disco - Seoul Jegi-dong 72 Hours,' which meets people living their stages today with a rhythm deepened by the years passed, will be broadcast on Monday, September 14, at 8:30 PM on KBS 2TV.

(Photo provided = KBS 2TV 'Documentary Three Days')

◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution : KBS

· Category : Documentary Three Days

· Distribution : September 14, 09:48

Source : KBS Press Release

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