Retired men are main demographic at South Korea’s libraries. Why?

SEOUL – On the second day of the new year, the National Library of Korea in southern Seoul had its usual visitor profile – senior male citizens – forming a predominant majority.

A 75-year-old surnamed Lee is among the regulars. He comes to the library every morning, has lunch for 5,000 won (S$4.70) and stays until 4.30 or 5pm.

“There’s nowhere to go once you’re over 70. It might be the same for you someday,” he adds in a hushed voice in a hallway. “I just come here to relax.”

Before retiring more than a decade ago, he was a civil engineer in the public sector. At the library, he continues to study his former field. “It’s what I did my whole life. I need to stay updated on recent developments.”

Other than that, he enjoys reading Park Kyung-ri’s multi-volume historical saga, Land.

Another man, 66-year-old Seo Tae-joon, is on his way to lunch at the cafeteria, just a one-minute walk from the library. Like Mr Lee, Mr Seo also visits the library daily.

Six years ago, he retired from a mid-sized construction company, where he had worked in human resources for nearly 40 years.

“I came straight to the library after retiring,” he says. “Staying home isn’t good. It makes you sick.

“I’m used to going out to work.”

He likes the library, he adds. “It’s nice. You can read as much as you want and freely use the computers as long as you don’t disturb anyone.”

Still, he does sometimes see people causing disturbances, making noise, and “acting like they’re still at home”.

Mr Seo typically arrives at the library at around 10am and spends most of his time in the digital reading room, where he studies English. “I have a lingering regret about English. I failed a recruitment exam at a broadcasting company because of it, and it even held me back in promotion exams.”

Despite no longer needing English scores, he remains motivated. “Who knows? There might still be a chance to travel abroad.”

At the Namsan Public Library in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Mr Baek Chun-ku, 72, is watching a Chinese martial arts movie in the digital library.

Mr Baek, who retired at age 60 after 35 years in banking, visits the library three days a week. He enjoys reading about society, culture and poetry.

“It’s about passing time,” he says. “I need to feel like I’ve spent the day well. I can’t just stay home all the time, channel surfing on the couch.

“My wife is hardly home either. She’s busy every morning with the gym, her art studio – she’s an artist – and other activities.”

For many men in retirement, libraries serve as vital spaces to engage with the world at little to no cost, says sociology professor Seol Dong-hoon at Jeonbuk National University.

“Libraries provide a heated and cooled environment with an inexpensive lunch. They offer a space where seniors can spend time without spending money, whether by reading books or simply sitting and relaxing.”

But why men?

In several libraries visited, women were a rare sight among the older male patrons.

Mr Park Kyung-hoon, 69, who regularly visits a library in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, says: “I rarely see women my age in the reading rooms. But when you attend cultural programmes like calligraphy or drawing offered at libraries and welfare centres, 90 per cent of the participants are female. Men just don’t join those programmes.”

Data provided by the National Library of Korea shows that men in their 60s were the most frequent visitors during weekdays in 2024, accounting for 23.6 per cent of the total. This was followed by men in their 50s (19 per cent) and men in their 70s (13.4 per cent).

In contrast, women of similar ages were far fewer. Only 2.5 per cent of library visitors were women in their 60s. Women in their 50s and 70s accounted for 4.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent of all visitors respectively.

All the male seniors interviewed say that while they visit the library regularly, they do not form acquaintances there.

Commenting on this phenomenon – male seniors frequenting libraries with no intention of making friends, while female seniors go to community centres to socialise – honorary sociology professor Lee Byung-hoon at Chung-Ang University highlights its sociological implications.

“For that generation, life was primarily about survival and supporting their families, leaving little room for socialising or developing a sense of community,” he says. “This lack of social infrastructure or emotional connection makes it difficult for them to cultivate these skills later in life.”

Prof Lee views the isolated and lonely lives of retired men in South Korea as a sad reality.

“These individuals were part of the generation that built South Korea’s vibrant, modern era, yet they sacrificed much on a personal level to achieve that prosperity.”

Still seeking knowledge

Not all older male library visitors are isolated or lonely. Many visit because they take reading seriously.

Mr Park, who retired at age 65 after a 40-year career at the National Assembly working on promotional materials related to policymaking, continues to pursue intellectual endeavours. Even after retirement, he freelances as a writer specialising in memoirs and biographies.

He visits the library daily, spending five hours a day researching books, newspapers and magazines to capture the context of the eras he writes about.

He believes libraries play a vital role in raising public awareness. “In the past, schools, churches and civic groups educated the public. Now, libraries play a similar role.”

Mr Lee Maeung-yeong, a 63-year-old pastor, has been a regular library user for more than 30 years. Having worked for 15 years with the homeless near Seoul Station, and now involved in prison ministry, he reads extensively on religion and the humanities.

He alternates between the Yongsan and Namsan libraries, avoiding holidays. Recently, Yongsan library added reading spaces by the windows. “It’s a blessing to read the sunlight,” he said, expressing gratitude for the new addition.

He believes libraries are spaces of deep social significance, especially for the elderly, who often grapple with loneliness. “I think libraries are even better for mental health than religion,” he says.

“Libraries are where you can truly enjoy knowledge. When I discover a great book, I feel immense gratitude. Someone dedicated their life to creating this gem and I get to enjoy it here.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK