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 said he comes to the library every morning, has lunch for 5,000 won ($3.45), and stays until 4:30 or 5 p.m.

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

Before retiring over a decade ago, he was a civil engineer in the public sector. At the library, he continues to study his former field. “Well, it’s what I did my whole life. I need to stay updated on recent developments.” Other than that, he currently enjoys reading Park Kyung-ri’s multi-volume historical saga “Land.”

Another man, 66-year-old Seo Tae-joon, was on his way to lunch at the cafeteria, just a one-minute walk from the library. Like Lee, Seo also visits the library every day. 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,” Seo said. “Staying home isn’t good. It makes you sick. I just don’t like staying at home. I’m used to going out to work.”

He likes the library, he said. “It's pretty 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.”

Seo typically arrives at the library at around 10 a.m. 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,” he said. 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, 72-year-old Baek Chun-ku was watching a Chinese martial arts movie in the digital library when he was met by this reporter.

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

“It’s about passing time,” he said. “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, said Seol Dong-hoon, a sociology professor at Jeonbuk National University.

“Libraries provide a heated and cooled environment with an inexpensive lunch,” said Seol “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 the several libraries The Korea Herald visited, women were a rare sight among the older male patrons.

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

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

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

All the male seniors we interviewed reported 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 centers to socialize — Lee Byung-hoon, an honorary sociology professor at Chung-Ang University, highlighted its sociological implications.

“For that generation, life was primarily about survival and supporting their families, leaving little room for socializing or developing a sense of community,” Lee said. “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 once part of the generation that built Korea’s vibrant modern era, yet they sacrificed much on a personal level to achieve that prosperity,” he said.

Still seeking knowledge

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

Park Kyung-hoon, who retired at 65 after a 40-year career at the National Assembly working on promotional materials related to policymaking, continues to pursue intellectual endeavors. Even after retirement, he works as a freelance writer specializing in memoirs and biographies.

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

Park 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.”

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

He alternates between Yongsan Library and Namsan Library, avoiding holidays. Recently, Yongsan Library added reading spaces by the windows, allowing visitors to enjoy books in natural sunlight. “It’s a blessing to read under the sunlight,” he said, expressing gratitude for the new addition.

Lee 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,” the pastor said.

“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,” he said.

In association with the Asia News Network