Suni and the Seven Princesses are an octogenarian rap group from South Korea. Their work is drawing attention to the problems facing increasingly aging populations in the Asia-Pacific region.
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00:00 "If we fall, we're not a butterfly. If we fall, we're not a butterfly."
00:07 The "G" in this unit stands for "granny."
00:10 Sooni and the Seven Princesses are an octogenarian rap group
00:14 from the mean streets of Chilgok, South Korea.
00:17 "Wearing this is good. It makes you look younger.
00:20 And it makes you feel better when you're old."
00:24 And bling isn't the only affectation the group shares with mainstream hip-hop.
00:29 Like many rappers, the Princesses' work forces audiences to confront
00:33 some of the social issues affecting their society.
00:36 In particular, South Korea's aging population
00:40 and the emptying out of its rural communities.
00:43 "It's too bad these days.
00:45 Back then, it was a real life.
00:48 Now, it's bad.
00:49 There's no one here.
00:51 If you don't go to the Han River, it's empty.
00:53 We don't have anyone.
00:55 There's no one to come in the future."
00:57 South Korea is set to join the list of super-aged societies
01:01 alongside Taiwan and Japan early next year,
01:04 when a fifth of its population will be age 65 and above.
01:08 The effects of the demographic shift are felt hard in places like Chilgok County.
01:13 Like many of the country's rural areas,
01:15 most young people have left, seeking opportunities in big cities,
01:19 and fewer of them are having children.
01:21 As such, the Princesses' lyrics focus on the humdrum daily lives
01:25 of those left behind in the country's increasingly vacant villages.
01:29 "I'm so happy to be back home,
01:32 picking flowers in the chili garden,
01:34 cucumbers in the cucumber garden,
01:36 eggplant in the eggplant garden,
01:38 pumpkins in the pumpkins,
01:40 and watermelons in the watermelons.
01:42 I'm so happy."
01:44 "I'm so happy to be back home,
01:46 picking flowers in the chili garden,
01:48 cucumbers in the cucumber garden,
01:50 eggplants in the eggplant garden,
01:52 watermelons in the watermelons.
01:54 The Princesses remain a ways away from
01:56 living large and driving exotic cars.
01:58 They have found a big audience on social media
02:01 and do events around the country.
02:03 "I thought that only famous people would appear on social media,
02:08 but my grandmother was there.
02:10 My friends sent me messages saying,
02:13 'Isn't that your grandmother?'
02:15 It was very touching.
02:18 I think she's the most famous in Chilgok County."
02:22 Like several other countries in the region,
02:25 South Korea is having to come to terms
02:27 with the challenges of an aging population.
02:29 But for Sunni and the Seven Princesses,
02:32 to paraphrase another rapper,
02:34 they got 99 problems, but old age ain't one.
02:37 Alex Chen and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.
02:42 Yee! (laughing)
02:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]