Objectives: To investigate the relationship between experience of hunger in childhood or adolescence and diabetes mellitus in old age. Methods: Stratified national samples of 421 men and 554 women aged 60-89 in South Korea were analyzed. Diabetes diagnosed by a doctor was used as the dependent variable. Experience of hunger in childhood was assessed with the question, "In your childhood, have you ever gone hungry with skipping a meal?" and "In your childhood, have you ever eaten porridge or some bran cake as main dish instead of rice because of lack of food?" Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by multiple logistic regressions. Results: ORs of diabetes by experience of hunger in childhood were 1.64(95% CI 0.95-2.83) for men and 1.58(95% CI 1.01-2.47) for women. Significant association of experience of hunger in childhood with prevalence of diabetes persisted in men after adjustment for adulthood and old age socioeconomic position indicators and other risk factors(OR 1.88(95% CI 1.04-3.41)). The effect of experience of hunger in 10-19 years was more prominent than that in less than 10 years in both gender. Conclusion: Experience of hunger in childhood or adolescence may increase the risk of diabetes in Korean elders.