Green old age

An 80-year-old man runs six to seven kilometers every day. He eats two-thirds of a bowl of rice, half a pack of instant noodles, and less than four slices of meat. He also quit smoking, which he had enjoyed for more than 50 years. He reads two newspapers with care and clips articles from them. His blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which are major indicators of adult diseases, are lower than those of his 40-something son. He is so healthy that he is ineligible for compensation given to Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to defoliants. He feels left out over this, but said, “Not eating into state coffers is also patriotism.”

The elderly man`s name is Jang Ki-won and he threw fast balls and sliders in a stable posture in a tryout for the Goyang Wonders, Korea’s first independent baseball team. With a maximum speed of 80 kilometers or 50 miles per hour, his pitching power is on par with pitching machines at indoor baseball practice centers. Many have been embarrassed by fastballs at baseball practice centers, which they entered with a gallant spirit at night under the influence of alcohol. Jang played baseball in high school but stopped due to the Korean War. While soothing his regret by pitching for a senior citizens` team in his neighborhood, he issued a challenge to the Wonders.

In Toronto’s Waterfront Marathon on Oct. 16, the India-born British man Fauja Singh finished the race with a time of 8 hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds. The number “100” on his chest indicated his age. According to the Korea Association of Athletics Federations, the oldest runner who finished a full race in Korea is 87-year-old Joo Soo-jin. A native of North Korea, Joo began running in his late 70s to stay healthy until he can visit his hometown in the North. Lee Eun-jang, 65, became Korea`s best boxer in his class at age 59. Because of lack of competitions for those aged 60 or over, Lee practices by himself.

Under the reign of Emperor Guangwu in China`s Later Han Dynasty, the 62-year-old military officer Ma Yuan went into battle despite the emperor’s objections, saying, “You cannot say I`m old as I can wear armor and ride a horse.” Ma went on to suppress a rebellion. The term “green old age” originated from what Ma said: “A man should be healthy as he grows old.” The life expectancy of the average Korean is 80 years, but the healthy lifespan is just 70 years. If one spends his or her remaining 10 years suffering from disease, longevity is meaningless. Experts say a daily 15-minute exercise lengthens life by three years while one hour of watching TV shortens it by 22 minutes. Running shoes will bring about green old age.

Editorial Writer Lee Hyeong-sam (hans@donga.com)