Older adults rest in a pavilion in a park in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 3.YONHAP
According to Korea’s overseas nationals registry, almost 1,400 Koreans living abroad are at least 120 years old — even though only one person in recorded history has been verified to have lived past that age.
As of August, the registry listed 21,744 registered Korean nationals living abroad as at least 100 years old, based on data that the Overseas Koreans Agency submitted to Rep. Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party on Tuesday.
Of those, 16,394 were listed as being 100 to 109; 3,929 as 110 to 119; 1,418 as 120 to 129; and three as 130 or older. This means that 1,421 registered nationals abroad were listed as being at least 120 years old.
According to the Guinness World Records, only one person has ever been officially verified to have lived beyond 120: French national Jeanne Calment, who died at 122 in 1997.
The implausible figures stem from an overseas registration system that relies on individuals to self-report their information.
The overseas nationals registry is used to locate citizens when accidents, disasters or other emergencies occur abroad; as a result, it is important to keep information such as addresses and contact details up to date. But only 40.3 percent of the estimated Korean nationals living overseas, or 961,494 people, have registered themselves.
The rate is even lower for Koreans living in certain countries. For example, the rate is as low as 11.9 percent in the Philippines, 31.1 percent in France and 32.1 percent in Australia.
In other countries, the registration rate exceeds 100 percent because the system has failed to reflect changes such as people returning to Korea. Libya is estimated to have just 10 Korean nationals, but 58 people remain registered there, which puts the registration rate at 580 percent. Yemen shows a similar discrepancy, with 16 registered Korean nationals compared to an estimated population of three — a registration rate of 530 percent.
Travelers queue at Incheon International Airport on Aug. 2.YONHAP
“The estimated number of nationals [in every country] differs depending on whether it is based on official statistics from the host government, administrative data from diplomatic missions or surveys by Korean associations and other organizations,” Rep. Kwon said.
The seemingly inaccurate figures came despite the Overseas Koreans Agency saying that it had reviewed the status of nationals at all overseas diplomatic missions from May 19 to June 30.
Some have expressed concerns that inaccurate records could cause confusion when authorities need to respond to emergencies abroad.
“If the overseas nationals registry does not accurately reflect where people actually live or stay, it will be difficult to use when it is truly needed,” Kwon said. “Since the Overseas Koreans Agency has the power to request immigration records, computerized family registry information and data on loss of nationality from related agencies, it should make active use of those sources to update the information.”
The agency plans to improve the registration system’s accuracy.
“We will work to improve the system by encouraging registrants to self-report changes and by continuing to monitor the status of Korean nationals abroad through overseas diplomatic missions,” the Overseas Koreans Agency said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
