Chilgok granny rappers gain huge popularity at home and abroad

Chilgok Grandma rapper group Suni and Chil Gongju pose for a photo after receiving the \'Commendation Plaque for Meritorious Development of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province\' from Chilgok County Governor Kim Jae-wook (center) on July 7. Courtesy of Chilgok-gun

Feisty raps of grandmother rappers from Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, appear in commercials for large companies. The grandmothers' raps are attracting attention from all over the world beyond Korea, including a series of reports from major foreign media.

Chilgok-gun announced on March 13 that the granny rap group “Suni and Seven Princesses” will serve as advertising models for a major Korean company. According to the county, a large domestic company is reportedly promoting corporate image advertisements showing grandmothers rapping. A domestic financial group is also considering filming a commercial with the grandmothers in the first half of this year. In addition, various other companies are in contact with the grandmothers, the county said.

“Suni and Seven Princesses” is an eight-member granny rap group with an average age of 85, who live in Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun. Through adult literacy education, they learned Korean late in life and challenged themselves to rap.

The grandmothers were recently covered by Reuters, one of the world's top three international news agencies, and China's state-run Central Television (CCTV). In particular, Reuters said, “A group of South Korean rappers in their eighties has become popular in their hometown and beyond. The group raps about farm life and bringing energy to a quiet rural area threatened by shrinking population.” Japan's public broadcaster NHK is also scheduled to cover them by the end of this month.

Recently, a fan club has also been created. More than 150 people have joined the fan club, including Prime Minister Han Deok-soo, who calls them "Chilgok Sisters" whenever he mentions them on social media. Letters and donations have been sent from across the country to Chilgok-gun, including Choi Eun-soon, the former president of Daewoo Motors, who created "Tico," and a convenience store owner who asked not to be named.

"Learning to rap makes me feel like I'm entering a golden age for the first time in the twilight years of my life," said Park Jum-soon (85), the leader of “Suni and Seven Princesses.” "I hope our challenge can give strength and courage to many people in these difficult times."

Kim Jae-wook, governor of Chilgok-gun said, "The elderly have proven that they can communicate with the younger generation and create new cultures. We will continue to develop Chilgok-gun as the No. 1 place for silver culture through various contents such as the Chilgok Granny Culture Center."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.