Interest in wellness continues to grow, and the wellness market is expanding rapidly. Wellness is going viral among people in their 20s and 30s, but perhaps it is the 50- and 60-somethings who truly experience and need wellness.
The Global Senior Wellness Conference begins today in Wonju, Gangwon State.
The event brings together innovative ideas and solutions for healthy, vibrant lives in later life, and offers an opportunity to discuss and experience first-hand what true wellness means.
We met Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age, which hosted an international senior wellness conference last year and is doing so again this year, to hear her thoughts on wellness and talk about her business.
In the age of AI, recovery is becoming a defining issue
Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age, is an entrepreneur whose business is focused on the third stage of life.
She is a young entrepreneur, with many years to go before she herself becomes a senior.
But soon after starting her business, her health deteriorated, prompting her to reconsider her own wellbeing. Her interest in wellness deepened, and she quickly came to realise that ageing with vitality and good health matters most.
After working in China, she returned to her hometown of Wonju and founded her company in 2021. Since last year, she has hosted the Global Senior Wellness Conference in Wonju. The theme of the second conference, taking place on 6 and 7 November at Museum SAN and Oak Valley, is “In the age of AI: our recovery and healing”. Healing News asked what Third Age is working to achieve and what the conference aims to do; here are the questions and answers.
Visiting 30 care homes led her to start a business
Q. What kind of company is Third Age?
A. I chose the name because I wanted to build a company that champions the third stage of life. If we divide life into four stages, then in an era of longevity it is important to consider how healthily we spend the third stage, from middle age onwards, while staying active. We have worked to connect people with the health, food, work and content they need at that stage.
Q. What prompted you to start a business for seniors?
A. While I was working in China, I was asked to research care homes in Japan, but I couldn’t travel there because of Covid. So I visited 30 care homes in South Korea myself, and what I saw there made me decide to start a business.
Q. You started by connecting people with jobs and have now moved into wellness.
A. Our motto was “active for life”, so we first tried to connect people with jobs, but there were many practical difficulties. There isn’t suitable work for everyone, and many people don’t want demanding jobs after retirement. So the question turned back to health.
A conference to touch, taste and walk—not just listen
Q. What kind of event is the Global Senior Wellness Conference?
A. At academic conferences, you may gain knowledge, but it can be difficult to put it into practice straight away. So we have combined talks with hands-on experiences. We believe that after hearing the theory, people need to touch, taste and walk for themselves if they are to put even a little of it into practice in daily life once they get home. We have prepared opportunities to experience and fully appreciate meditation, food, aromatherapy and more through the senses.
Q. Why hold it in Wonju, Gangwon Province, rather than in the Seoul metropolitan area or nearby?
A. Of course, there are many good places in Seoul and nearby. But I felt that we needed a strong sense of place to make the most of nature, the setting and the experience. After working overseas and returning, I saw Gangwon’s air and trees differently. Because the region is less developed, its clean air and nature have been well preserved. It may be a little far for visitors from overseas, but I thought Wonju was the most suitable place to make the most of the opportunity to experience and appreciate natural surroundings first-hand.
Oak Valley has well-maintained woodland paths that are lovely to walk, and its air and water are good. Museum SAN is already well known in the arts world and in the field of meditation. I think it will be a wonderful opportunity for people to experience the clear natural surroundings and thoughtfully designed spaces, and to plan their own approach to wellness in a way that suits them.
Last year, members of our team were deeply moved by the stars streaming across the sky, and they still talk about it. We wanted to create a time like that, with an experience that stays in your heart for a long time.
Q. This year’s theme is “In the age of AI: our recovery and healing”.
A. We live in an age when AI analyses health data and even recommends exercise and lifestyle habits. The more technology advances, the more important it becomes to consider how to restore our bodies and minds. I believe we need to learn how to recover before we learn how to live longer.
A Gangwon-style wellness living lab based in Wonju, with a nationwide global event to follow
Q. Why hold an international event?
A. The wellness industry is growing rapidly overseas, and this trend will soon take hold in South Korea too. I want to grow the event into a festival in the style of Omaha, where participants from different countries can mingle naturally, or an event in the style of Davos.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. We plan to create a Gangwon-style wellness living lab based in Wonju, linking AI and wellness with tourism and healthy longevity, and to expand our collaboration with companies, institutions and experts at home and abroad. The senior wellness market is one that is certain to grow. It is not an easy road, but I believe opportunities will open up if we keep going steadily, with faith in its potential.
Q. Finally, is there anything you’d particularly like to say?
A. The wellness industry is already growing explosively overseas, and South Korea has already begun to ride that wave. I think it will grow rapidly here too, as South Korea is experiencing the fastest population ageing in the world. In future, we plan to hold global events not only in Wonju but also in other regions, where participants from different countries can meet and connect. We hope you will take an interest in the senior community and events Third Age is building, and join us in shaping a genuine senior wellness trend.
In the end, if you’re not healthy, it doesn’t matter how many things you want to do—you can’t do them. So many people give up their health for success or money. I want to help people realise and experience what really matters.
Third Age website: https://kwellnessinkorea.com/theme/nero/shop/subpage/01.php
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