South Korean seniors flock to disco clubs to dance
<p>Thousands of South Korean seniors are secretly sneaking out to disco clubs to dance the day away.</p>
<p>“I come here every day of the week, except for Saturday and Sunday,” says 81-year-old Jun Il-Taek as he dances beneath giant disco balls and fairy lights.</p>
<p>Jun is just one of the 200 men and women on the dance floor, all bobbing away to the beat of disco.</p>
<p>Although their rather sedate nature of dancing contrasts with the high energy of disco music, everyone is having a ball at the ninth-floor dance club.</p>
<p><img width="415" height="277" src="http://cdn.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/doc6ofgchmpzfr19lbueobu.jpg" alt="TO GO WITH AFP STORY: SKorea-lifestyle-culture-population-ageing, FEATURE by Jung Ha-Won In a photo taken on February 4, 2016 a couple dance at a 'colatec' in Seoul. As the mercury outside plunges to minus 10 degrees on an ice-cold Monday afternoon, the dance floor inside the Kukilgwan Palace is packed with gray-haired Korean couples moving to the rhythms of high-volume disco. South Korea's rapidly ageing population may be a major headache for policymakers, but its members are determined to enjoy themselves, dancing the years away at clubs where 50-year-olds are turned away for being "too young." Colatecs first emerged in the late 1990s as dance halls for teenagers, where alcohol was banned and the only drinks on offer were sodas like Coca Cola. But they soon fell out of fashion with their young clientele which migrated to gatherings at Internet cafes and karaoke clubs. And so the Colatecs rebranded themselves for an entirely different demographic. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones " class="wp-image-188744" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p>“Nothing keeps me healthier than dancing… I can’t live without this place,” Jun says, as he leads his 75-year-old female partner into a slow turn.</p>
<p>The army veteran is one of the thousands of South Korean seniors who love going to “Colatecs” – special disco dance clubs for the elderly.</p>
<p>Colatecs first emerged in the late 1990s as dance clubs for teenagers but soon fell out of fashion. They’ve now rebranded for the senior demographic, with opening hours between midday and 6pm.</p>
<p>The clubs are flourishing across the country, where anyone under 60 are turned away for being “too young”.</p>
<p><img width="420" height="280" src="http://cdn.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/doc6ofgct092jk1c7vovobu.jpg" alt="TO GO WITH AFP STORY: SKorea-lifestyle-culture-population-ageing, FEATURE by Jung Ha-Won In a photo taken on December 2, 2015 a musician plays keyboards as people dance at a 'colatec' in Seoul. As the mercury outside plunges to minus 10 degrees on an ice-cold Monday afternoon, the dance floor inside the Kukilgwan Palace is packed with gray-haired Korean couples moving to the rhythms of high-volume disco. South Korea's rapidly ageing population may be a major headache for policymakers, but its members are determined to enjoy themselves, dancing the years away at clubs where 50-year-olds are turned away for being "too young." Colatecs first emerged in the late 1990s as dance halls for teenagers, where alcohol was banned and the only drinks on offer were sodas like Coca Cola. But they soon fell out of fashion with their young clientele which migrated to gatherings at Internet cafes and karaoke clubs. And so the Colatecs rebranded themselves for an entirely different demographic. AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones " class="wp-image-188745" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p>
<p>However, in the ultra-conservative Korean society Colatecs are seen as immoral, meaning many seniors keep their disco-dancing hobby a secret from their families.</p>
<p>Despite the stigma, South Korea’s ageing population are determined to enjoy themselves and many flock to the Colatecs to dance, unwind, have some fun, and meet new people.</p>
<p>“My children and grandchildren think that I just meet my friends over coffee or lunch,” says Han Keum-Ok, 75, who has been a regular attendee of Colatecs for 10 years.</p>
<p>“At my age, you never know how long you will live, and I’d like to enjoy the rest of my life to the full.</p>
<p>“But I tell no one I come here because a lot of people think Colatecs are immoral,” she says. </p>
