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| Korean Couple Build Loving Home for Orphans |
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Kim Hak-won and An Hye-young didn't have any children when they arrived from South Korea 14 years ago. Today they look after 126 adopted Chinese orphans at their red two-storey house in the Yanbian Korean Minority Autonomous Prefecture of northeast China's Jilin Province. With so many youngsters to look after they need plenty of space so their home, nicknamed the Love House, covers 200,000 square metres. Outside there's a slide, swimming pool and fountain laid on to keep the children entertained. Kim, 48, who was once manager of a computer company, lost his parents when he was still a small child. Having gone through a difficult childhood, his heart always goes out to orphans. And the plan to set up a charity orphanage was deeply ingrained in his mind. Kim first came to Yanji in 1992, hoping to found a charity school. His wife quit her job in South Korea six months later, and travelled to China to be with him. "My husband is my idol, I am happy with him taking care of the children," said An. "We don't care whether or not they are of our own blood. What we do care is that they need a family, and we need children." Whenever they came across abandoned children, they would bring them home, no matter whether the youngsters were healthy or not. The first child they adopted was a disabled 10-year-old boy. The boy, who suffers from an eye disease, has now become independent and works for the Love House. The couple lived happily with their initial adopted children, and the family grew to 16 members in two years. However, as the number of children increased, their savings decreased. In a bid for capital to continue fostering the children, Kim sought help from companies in his home country. He set up the South Korea Children Charity Association, a professional Charity institution dedicated to helping Chinese Children, composed of South Korea companies. Meanwhile he co-operated with the Yanji Civil Affairs Bureau to set up the Love House. The local government also showed its support, providing free land and 130 yuan (US$16) per orphan per month. Up to now, 68 adopted children are still living in the Love House, while 58 others have grown up and left their foster parents. "My wife never complains that we haven't had our own child. In my opinion all children have an equal right to enjoy parental love," Kim said. Every night the children hug their parents and sometimes even fight for a chance to sleep closer to them. An Won-hak, the only university student from the Love House, is now studying at Changchun Chinese Medical University in Changchun, capital of Jilin. His father died in 1994 and his mother abandoned him and his brother several days later. "I couldn't have grown up without my foster parents, let alone become a university student," he said. "I plan to go back to the Love House when I graduate, to be a doctor in our free clinic and help others, like my parents." Li Shuaifeng, 25, will get married this year, and works in Qingdao, a costal city in east China's Shandong Province. He returns to visit his foster parents every year. "They treat me as their own son, and I take them as my own parents, I would like to look after them when they become old," said Li. The couple have raised more than US$2 million to help the youngsters. (China Daily June 27, 2006) |
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