“매화가 한 철이듯 사람도 한 철이니" 99세 할머니가 100년을 살아보고 깨달은 것! | KBS 20260103 방송

▶ Living Ninety-Nine Years "Sixty sacks of soybeans, thirty sacks of corn, five sacks of red beans." The tale of Grandmother Eom Ok-hwa (99 years old) begins with the sheer number of fields she tilled during her prime and ends with the number of sacks she harvested each time. At the age of sixteen, she married a man and settled in Yongso Valley, a remote valley in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, and now lives to the age of ninety-nine. Unable to bear the thought of beauty, she planted wildflowers everywhere in the village, transforming the entire neighborhood into a palace of flowers. Even now, unemployed, her face is ablaze with a beautiful smile. However, her long life has brought with it many scars, as well as glory. Born during the Japanese colonial period, she endured the tribulations of modern history up until the Korean War, losing two children to starvation during the war, and later raising five more. Instead of becoming discouraged, Grandmother Ok-hwa tirelessly cultivated the land to protect her surviving children. "Just as plum blossoms have their season, so do your best each time," he says. We glimpse the grandmother's century-old wisdom and insight, demonstrating through her life that ninety-nine springs don't come for free. ▶ What the Valley Has Protected: A 99-Year-Old Mother and the Last Hori Ox Grandmother Eom Ok-hwa lives in her old home with her son, Lee Byeong-woo (75), a farmer, and her daughter-in-law, Lee Eun-hwa (75). Because Yongso Valley is so steep and barren, her son still farms with a plow and a hori ox instead of machines. Having lost his older brother and sisters and suddenly becoming the eldest son, poverty has held him back from leaving the valley. However, thanks to this, he was able to stay by his mother's side, and now, with the rare hori ox, he cultivates the sloping fields. In spring, they plow the fields, in summer, they harvest peppers, in fall, they thresh beans and sesame seeds, and in winter, they make ox yokes or ferment meju, living in harmony with nature. Here lies the last scene of the pristine nature preserved by the valley and the things they long for. ▶ Time is precious, and children are beautiful. Nine and three years old, Lee Byung-woo's family owns two small cows. In this harsh mountain village, there's no greater asset than cows. In addition to plowing the fields, the two calves also helped to enrich the village's livelihood. This year (2025), they each gave birth to two calves, but soon after birth, they will have to part ways. The one who grieves the most is Grandma Ok-hwa, who has lost several children. Knowing that children are beautiful no matter what they do, even now, at ninety-nine, she follows her children closely, acting as their shadow. When asked what the most precious thing in life is, they answered, "It's not money or a house, but children, whose love grows stronger as time passes by." This program seeks to convey the precious things we suddenly realize only after they've passed, through the lives of an elderly man and his family in a remote valley. ※ This video is from [Documentary On - Hori So and Ninety-Nine Mothers], which aired on January 3, 2026. #Life #100Years #Life This is the official KBS Documentary channel. We deliver documentaries that breathe with the world. Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. 📝 [email protected] 📞 02-781-1000 ✔KBS Documentary | KBS Official YouTube Channel Copyright ⓒ KBS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use (including AI training) are prohibited. 📝 [email protected] 📞 +82-2-781-1000 🏢 Seoul, Republic of Korea (South Korea) ∙The current situation and content may differ slightly depending on the broadcast time. ∙Defamatory or malicious comments may be deleted by the operator to protect the cast.