Long awaited–photos from our event!

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Shannon Heit: thoughts on Korean adoption policy

Here’s another article about Shannon Heit, one of the speakers at our event on June 4th.

Adoptee critical of adoption policy

Shannon Heit’s thoughts on loss, absence, working with KUMFA, and unwed mothers & Korean adoptee solidarity

One of the people who will be speaking at our fundraiser, KUMFA volunteer coordinator Shannon Heit, published an excerpt from her thesis from “Diasporic Articulations and the Transformative Power of Haunting: Returning Adoptees’ Solidarity Movement with Unwed Mothers in Korea,” on Gazillion Voices in 2014. Read to learn more about KUMFA, her experiences working with KUMFA, and some of the thoughts of Mok Kyoung-hwa, KUMFA’s director, who will also be speaking at our event.

EXCERPTS FROM “DIASPORIC ARTICULATIONS AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF HAUNTING”

I like this quote:

Adoptees’ solidarity actions with KUMFA are a personal and public reminder that no matter how “good” our adoptive parents are, or no matter how “successful” our reunions are, adoption is not a ‘natural’ phenomenon – adoption is borne out of trauma.

And I also like this quote from Mok Kyoung-hwa:

From the perspective of KUMFA as an organization, the first people who were interested in supporting KUMFA were adoptees. Among KUMFA volunteers, there are Koreans, foreigners, and adoptees – but adoptees always feel like family. They seem to have a sense of responsibility and love for our kids, as if they were their own little brothers and sisters. Adoptees seem to work with us, not just with their heads but also their hearts. They think of it as not as helping us, but as their own work too. Even though there are language barriers, we communicate through our hearts. This makes me hopeful, makes me think, I made the right choice…so I feel stronger about being able to raise my child as a single mother.

Mok Kyoung-hwa’s (KUMFA’s) stance on the baby box

Opinion divided on the merits of South Korean pastor’s ‘baby box’

South Korean pastor Jong-rak Lee has been taking orphans in via a specialised ‘baby box’ attached to his church since 2009. But is the ability to anonymously abandon infants helping or hindering the plight of the country’s unwanted young?

11 FEB 2014 – 11:29 AM  UPDATED 2 MAR 2015 – 2:31 PM

Article about KUMFA director Mok Kyoung-hwa, KUMFA Director

A silent sacrifice, a human cost, Groove Korea, September 2014

Korea’s unwed mothers combat a social stigma and lack of services to keep their children

Story by Deva Lee and Jenny Na / Illustrations by Vanessa Sae-hee Burke
Translation by Shannon Heit, Soyeon Kim and Holly MacKay
Listen to GrooveCast host Chance Dorland’s interview with Diva Lee on the podcast player: http://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?autoplay=false&episode_id=4964915

Mok Kyoung-hwa moved into a home for unwed mothers in Seoul in the final month of her pregnancy. She was 32 and her fiancé had recently broken off their engagement because, as she later found out, he had met another woman.

Her pregnancy was a secret from everyone apart from her mother and the father of her child, who had told her to get an abortion before breaking off their engagement. That made entering the facility an especially difficult and degrading experience. Today, her memory of that time is enough to evoke intense emotions.

“When a woman is pregnant, it’s a very celebratory thing, and people always ask the woman if there’s anything they can do or if there’s anything she needs,” Mok says, her voice shaking. “When they’re in labor, other moms receive bouquets and lots of friends and family members come to congratulate them. But us? No one comes to congratulate us.”

In Korea, a high percentage of unwed mothers give their babies up for adoption, a practice that has now become expected. Mok is one of a growing number of women who are choosing to raise their children on their own while combating social conventions that for years have encouraged women to give their children up for adoption.

“At the very least, people shouldn’t be pointing fingers at us,” Mok says. “And because unwed moms don’t want to hear that kind of blame, they stay quiet. That’s what hurts the most.”

Korea’s international adoption industry

Unwed mothers’ advocates argue that adoption agencies hold unchecked power over vulnerable unwed moms who come to them for help, as many of them have nowhere else to go. These women receive little support from the government, their families or the public, causing an increasing number of expectant mothers to enter government homes and shelters, including those run by adoption agencies. Last year, 34 percent of mothers listed economic hardship as a reason for relinquishing their parental rights.

Choi Hyoung-sook gave her son up for adoption in 2005, but days later decided to reclaim him. When she turned to an unwed mothers’ home run by Holt Children’s Services of Korea for help, however, she was encouraged to give up her parental rights.

“When I went in for counseling, they told me I first had to sign the adoption consent form before they would talk to me, even though I was still thinking about what to do,” says Choi. The practice is illegal, but was one of many routinely used tactics by agencies at the time to encourage relinquishment.

The agency also told her she could meet her child and have correspondence with him when he was older, in contrast to domestic adoption, which is usually carried out in secret. She says she’s since learned that the “talk about reunion was a lie” — a bargaining point used by the agencies to encourage relinquishment.

According to Shannon Heit, the volunteer coordinator for the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association, “Half of the unwed mothers’ facilities in the country are currently run by adoption agencies, which is a clear conflict of interest. Many of the unwed mothers homes run by adoption agencies only accept mothers who are giving up for adoption or mothers who have a higher likelihood of choosing adoption (mothers who are younger with no family or support network).”

In the fallout of the Korean War in the 1950s, 90 percent of all adoptions involved mixed-race children, but by 1970 most adoptees were entirely Korean in ancestry. By 2012, at least 90 percent of adoptees were the children of unwed single mothers.

This shift happened around 1970, and the government responded by directing funds toward private maternity homes, creating a system where a lack of social welfare left few options for unwed mothers outside of adoption. Meanwhile, the prevalence of adoption relieved the government of needing to come up with a more lasting solution. By the 1980s, the agencies had started engaging themselves in profit-making activities and real estate investments, and were running their own delivery clinics, foster homes and temporary institutions, explains Korean Studies scholar Tobias Hübinette. “Since then, a growing number of maternity homes for young, unwed mothers have been the main source for newborn and healthy babies,” he says.

Meanwhile, the cost of international adoption has steadily Increased. It’s estimated that together the four agencies collect an average of $35 million per year, according to Eleana Kim, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Rochester.

“Adoption policy has become a seemingly permanent solution to what was, at the time, considered an emergency situation. What was supposed to be a humanitarian effort to rescue mixed-race children and war orphans became the largest and longest-running adoption program in the world.”

Weighing the options

Mok decided to have her baby in a government-subsidized unwed mothers’ home, but because she had plans to raise the child herself, none of the 33 unwed mother facilities in the country at the time would accept her, and only two of them even returned her call.

Unwed mothers who relinquish their children for adoption are able to stay in these facilities for up to two years, with the option of a six-month extension. Women who choose to raise their children on their own, however, must vacate the facilities after one to two years to make space for new residents. When they leave, they confront a whole new set of problems.

Despite the support pledged in the Single Parent Family Support Act in 2007, financial aid from the government continues to be minimal. The act claims to provide expenses for education and child care, as well as legal and counseling services. At present, however, unwed mothers with children under 12 years old and who earn less than roughly 1.2 mil- lion won a month are provided 70,000 won a month by the government, while parents who adopt receive almost three times as much.

Mok says most mothers don’t meet this requirement because the calculation includes income and possessions such as a car or house, as well as their parents’ wealth, even if they aren’t receiving parental support. Their other option is to put themselves below the poverty line, currently measured at 980,000 won per month. She says most moms try to stay within the gap.

Although fathers are required by law to pay child support, the lax enforcement and complex legal process often means that the financial responsibility is often carried by the mothers alone.

When Choi’s son was born, she made it clear that she would only respect the father’s right to see the child if he fulfilled his responsibilities. “He gave me money for about three years when he was young, about 700,000 won a month, but there were times when he did and times when he didn’t,” she says. He maintains a relationship with the child, and might buy him something if he needs it, but he has since stopped paying child support and Choi has no way to compel him to do so.

In addition to the financial burden, Choi also faces discrimination at work, and knows other unwed mothers who have been fired after giving birth.

The women aren’t the only ones facing discrimination — their children are often targeted as well. Choi, whose story has been widely reported in the Korean media, says her son had to change schools last year because he was being teased by his classmates. “When he was in his first year of elementary school, other children kept asking about rumors they had heard about me being an unwed mom and he became a sort of outcast,” she says. “Other kids were told by their parents not to play with him because he was in an unwed mothers’ home.”

She says unwed moms need to show that they are raising their children well by coming forward in society and defying stigmas. “We chose to raise our children and should not be thought of any differently or in a bad light because of that decision,” she says. “We should be respected as any other person is respected to raise our child in peace.”

Unwed mothers also need support because, she says, they aren’t the only ones who have a role in raising their children. “Society does too.”

The lack of support essentially forces women to give up their children, Mok says. “And if that’s the case, then in the end the children will end up in adoptive homes, foster families or in child welfare facilities. And in any of those three situations, they are getting more support from the government than we are.”

Compared to the 70,000 won per month that unwed mothers receive, she notes that foster families receive a monthly stipend of 500,000 won, child welfare facilities such as orphanages get 1.05 million won per child per month and families adopting domestically receive around 150,000 won per month for each child up to 14. Mok uses the metaphor of a broken cup to illustrate her point, saying, “Instead of investing money after the cup’s already been broken, (the government) should invest it in keeping the child in a healthy environment with its parents. The amount would be less than what they’re currently spending, and isn’t that a better investment?”

According to Mok, the women who are giving up their children for adoption are not doing it because they don’t want to raise their kids. “It’s because they don’t have any other choice — especially if the child’s father will not help support, if the parents will not help support … then they really have no other choice. We need to get rid of this public atmosphere that encourages these women to send their children for adoption.”

Mok says agencies claim that women relinquish their children because they want better lives for themselves. In her experience, that’s not the case. However, she acknowledges there are moments when the difficulty of raising a child alone can wear on a person, and it’s in those moments of insecurity or stress that a woman may feel adoption is the only choice.

“Some of these women could get on their feet financially if they were given the chance and the support, but they’re not able to get that,” Mok says. “If society were to allow that moment (of insecurity) to exist and worked to protect the woman, more women could keep their children. But society takes advantage of that moment and in effect forces the mother to choose adoption.”

Paper orphans and the baby box

Revisions to the Special Adoption Law in 2011 aimed to shift the focus of the country’s adoption system to promote the preservation of original families, in line with international standards. It enforces a mandatory seven-day reconsideration period for expectant mothers in the wake of numerous reports of coercion. One woman’s baby was reportedly taken by an agency worker who had her sign relinquishment papers while she was still under anesthesia after delivery. The law will also ban adoption agencies from providing facilities for unwed mothers by 2015.

Mok says the law provides mothers with an extra legal barrier to help protect their right to parent their own child. The seven-day deliberation period “gives women one more chance to think practically about whether or not they can raise their kids,” she says. “Before, mothers were being asked to sign off on adoption before they even gave birth, so they weren’t truly considering whether they could raise their kids. They were being told that it wasn’t possible to raise their child, and they were just accepting it.”

An audit of Holt Children’s Services of Korea in June found the agency to be in violation of the adoption law in a number of areas, including the deliberation period. Although the agency had followed the law for 567 of 600 children born after the law went into effect in August 2012, 33 children were taken from their birth parents before the seven days had passed. The audit also notes that before the law went into effect, 78.7 percent of children sent for adoption, or 1,022 out of 1,299, had been taken from birth parents within seven days.

The new law also enforces birth registration as a way to prevent abuses in the adoption system. In many countries, it’s illegal to adopt a child unless he or she is an orphan. This is also true in Korea, but adoption agencies have often created “paper orphans” to facilitate adoption, cutting all ties between child and family. Proponents of the law are concerned that a child who is not registered would have no legal protection.

Yet some mothers have been unwilling to register their child’s birth, fearing discrimination. It is estimated that about 3,000 children of unwed mothers go unregistered each year.

The government doesn’t list the status of “unwed mother” on official family records. But as Choi says, “The child’s name is on the mother’s hojuk (birth record) and the child’s hojuk will only have the mother’s name, so anybody who looks at it will know.”

Since the law’s implementation, the installation of a baby box in Seoul — an initiative driven by a Korean pastor to provide a safe place to drop off babies — has seen an increase in the number of abandonments.

Proponents of the baby box say it will allow children to be adopted instead of being left on the street, a claim Choi refutes. “Before there was a baby box, expectant mothers were not leaving their children in the street,” she says. “But now, mothers who would not normally have left their children now think the baby box a safe place to leave their children.”

Child abandonment was actually on the decline before the baby box was installed, but increased after the implementation of the Special Adoption Law revisions after heavy media attention.

Heit says the media’s portrayal of the baby box has given the impression that the children will grow up happy. “Unfortunately, this is the way unwed mothers are being convinced that they should put their babies in the baby box,” she says.  “There’s this huge misconception that it’s sort of an unselfish choice for the mother to make in order to give their children a happy life.”

The U.N. officially opposes the use of baby boxes worldwide because they facilitate abandonment, which is illegal in Korea.

Nonetheless, some mothers are desperate enough to use it. Activist Jane Jeong Trenka says that this is because they have not been informed that there is a process called “partial registration,” which allows births to be registered but remain private. Mok says the alternative is to establish a relief center to give women in emergency situations a place to stay. “The way the current system is set up, there all these conditions you have to meet, and if you don’t meet those conditions, then you’re out of luck. For example, if you already have a child and you are pregnant, there’s literally nowhere you can get support. So there needs to be a place that accepts people in emergency situations, crisis situations, unconditionally.”

 

Family preservation first

Mok says that in order to change the misperceptions about unwed mothers, society needs to create an atmosphere of support — one that includes greater economic assistance, unbiased counseling and enforcement of child support — instead of one that encourages the separation of mother and child. She feels that familial support is especially important, and that families need to embrace rather than reject a woman in crisis as she had been.

Although Mok’s mother had opposed her pregnancy, she helped her find a place to live after the baby was born and would travel two hours by public transportation and back to watch the baby while Mok was at work. “If it hadn’t been for my mom’s support,” Mok says, “I don’t know how I would have done it.”

When it became physically impossible for her mom to continue, Mok moved back home. That’s when her father found out, and when he did, he tried to kick Mok’s mother out of the house and demanded a divorce. He finally agreed to let Mok’s son stay, but wouldn’t let Mok in the house until after a few months later, after her mom convinced him that it would be the best thing for their daughter.

Mok and her son Ho-seong still live with her parents, and her father has since had a change of heart.

“Now, he treats Ho-seong like he’s the king of the house, and because of that, Ho-seong really thinks it’s true. He’ll say things like, ‘Well, grandfather said that I was the best. Grandfather said I was the king for the day, so I’m king for the day.’”

Mok and other unwed mothers are combating the questionable practices that have contributed to the idea that their children are unwanted by telling their stories and participating in policymaking activities, including the revisions to the Special Adoption Law. The women have also launched advocacy and service organizations, and together these groups have reclaimed Adoption Day (a national awareness day created to promote domestic adoption) as Single Moms’ Day to push the government to support their right to raise their children. In fighting discriminative laws and policies, these activists are also aiming to shift perceptions.

According to Heit, “The first question (people) always ask is, ‘Why didn’t you have an abortion?’ The second is, ‘Why didn’t you send for adoption?’ So it got to the point where moms thought, ‘Why is it that I can’t raise my child alone without it being weird or something mentionable?’”

As Choi puts it, “As a mother, it’s a natural instinct to want to keep and raise your child. Even though it’s difficult, I have no regrets, and my child has given me new life. I would do anything for my son.”

More info 
Local advocacy groups and service organizations for unwed mothers’ rights

Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association
Website: www.kumfa.or.kr

Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network
Website: www.kumsn.org

InTree: Unwed Moms for a Changed Future
Website: cafe.naver.com/20130202pm02/98

Think of us this May!

There is so much going on in May. First of all May is Asian Pacific heritage month, and we think that is a good time to recognize the two organizations that are co-hosting this fundraiser:

KADtalk is a Boston-area Korean adoptee book and film discussion group started in 2013. Members meet bi-monthly to talk explore the Korean adoptee experience through books and films. We read books written by Korean, Korean-American, and Korean adoptee writers, and about trans-racial adoption.

Korean Cultural Society of Boston strives (1) to introduce and promote Korean arts and cultural forms to a broad spectrum of New England audiences, (2) to promote and support professional Korean-American literary, visual, and musical artists, and (3) to enhance education of Korean culture and arts.

Korean Cultural Society of Boston was established in 2012 and is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

There are also a number of holidays in Korea in May.

5 May ~ Children’s Day 어린이날. It became an official holiday in the 1970s. Parents often give gifts to their children and families spend the day together having a picnic, attending amusement parks, zoos, museums, etc.

8 May ~ Parent’s Day 어버이 날. Family events focus on the parents; popular actions include giving parents carnations and other gifts. Public events are led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and include public celebrations and awards. I was in Korea for this and I spent the weekend with my “Korean aunt” (오빠’s family) and bought them a cake. I asked Korean friends what sort of gifts they buy their parents and for their moms they said cosmetics: lipstick, skin cream, etc. For their dad it was harder, but they things like clothing and other items similar to what you’d buy your dad for Father’s Day.

11 May ~ Single Moms’ Day – Held at the National Assembly (below taken from fb event)
Please join us for the 6th Annual Single Moms’ Day!
“Make a World Without Child Abanondment and Child Trafficking!” : Protecting Children’s Rights Through Birth Registration and Child Support

Single mothers’ children are the #1 source of adopted children in and from Korea. Single moms deserve support and respect so they can raise their own kids if they choose to do that, rather than adoption being offered as both the first and best choice for their children. We celebrate Single Moms’ Day every year in order to challenge the government’s Adoption Day, which aims to promote adoption, which can be good — but that adoption promotion overlooks the main problem, which is that it is literally impossible to care for one’s child at the same time as working at a job, which is what you have to do if your family and friends turn their back on you because you’re a single mom. Add to that, how are you going to care for a child if you’re homeless, which is the situation that many moms face when their families kick them out for being pregnant. We challenge the government and the Korean society to make a more humane environment where children’s and women’s rights are upheld and children may live in the loving families that they already have. Bam.

15 May ~ Teacher’s Day (in the U.S. it’s on 3 May) I was in Korea on this day and was surprised to get gifts from my students. I’d never heard of the holiday before.

21 May – Couples Day – The day itself is designed not only to celebrate marriage in general, but to encourage couples to intentionally think about their own marriages and spouses specifically. The 21st of May was a carefully chosen date, as the numbers of 2 and 1 are meant to symbolize the union of two people becoming one through the union of marriage. (Text taken from this blog.)

Learn the story of 김도경, a KUMFA mom

The courage to launch my dream, that’s in me.
한국어
(Interview by Young Ju Yoon 윤영주 in management team)

한국어: here.  This article is an English translation of the original Korean version

Deputy Director Do Kyung Kim is a mom. She often notices others’ uneasy gazes. It must still be seen unusual that an unwed woman raises a child alone in Korea. Moreover, they do not stay as mere gazes at work or in society. Unmarried parents endure discrimination at workplaces, economic difficulties and social prejudices. And yet, there is an unwed mom who works with pride overcomming discrimination. Of course, she went through difficult processes so far before the present, and that is why she always tries to convey hope to other unwed moms. I met her, Do Kyung Kim (김도경), Deputy Director of KUMFA. 

Interview with 정수진, a KUMFA mom (in Korean and English) PART II

5살 딸래미 아정이와 알콩달콩 살고 있는 양육미혼모 정수진 입니다.

제가 서른 살 되던 해에 아이의 친부를 처음 만났고, 두어달 교제하다 성격차이로 헤어졌는데, 임신 5개월이 접어 들었을 때에서야 비로소 임신이라는것을 인지하였습니다.

당시 저는 사업실패로 빚이 있었고, 가지고 있었던 계좌에 압류까지 들어와 있는 상황이었습니다.

아이를 출산하기 위해서는 아르바이트라도 해서 돈을 마련해야했고 생활도 해야했기에 인근 편의점에서 아르바이트를 했습니다.

혼인도 하지 않았고 남자친구도 없는 상황에서 임신 중이라는것을 사람들이 알게되는 것이 저 스스로도 창피하고 수치스럽다고 느꼈기에 복대로 배를 감싸고 임신 사실을 숨긴 채 일을 했었습니다.

그러나 막상 출산이 다가오자 감추기 힘들정도로 배가 불러왔고 저를 의심하고 계셨던 같이 일하는 아주머니께서 우연히 제 배를 만져보시더니 임신이라는 것을 알아차리셨습니다.

저의 임신 사실은 사장님께 바로 알려졌고, 제가 예상했던대로 주변 사람들에게 손가락질을 받았으며 돈을 더 벌어야했지만 그곳에서 더이상 일을 할 수 없게 되었습니다.

제가 임신 사실을 숨긴 것과 남편 없이 임신한 것이 부도덕하고 신뢰가 안가는 사람이라며 일을 시킬 수 없다는 것이었습니다.

한 달여 후 진통이 왔고 아이를 혼자 출산했습니다.

 

I’m unwed mom, 정수진, who lives lives happily with 5-old-year daughter, 아정.

When I was 30 years old, I met her father for couple of months and parted with him because of difference in personality. I realized I was pregnant when I was five months into pregnancy. At the time I had debts to my business failure and my bank account was impounded. So I had to work to give birth and make a living. I had a part time-job at a nearby convenience store.

I was embarrassed and shamed that other people might figure out that I had become pregnant before being married or without a boyfriend. So I wore an abdomen belt to hide my pregnancy. But the birth came closer and it was so difficult to hide my big belly. One co-worker (아줌마) who suspected my pregnancy noticed it and immediately informed the boss. As I expected, I received a finger pointing from the people around me and I had to leave there even though I needed a job and money. They said that they could no longer trust me because I hid my pregnancy and it was immoral to have a pregnant without husband. After one month I gave a birth to the child alone.

Interview with 정수진, a KUMFA mom (in Korean and English) PART I

1. 미혼모로서 가장 힘든점은 무엇입니까?
대한민국에서 미혼모로 사는것이 힘든것 같습니다. 물론 혼자 육아와 경제, 집안일도 해야하니 힘든건 당연하다 생각들 하시겠지요. 그래도 내 안에, 내 아이와 행복하고싶다는 욕망이 커서 신체적인 힘들음은 견딜수있습니다. 그러나 대한민국에서 미혼모는 도덕적으로 지탄받는 존재이기에 사회생활에 뛰어들어도 항상 남들의 수군거림과 손가락질에 나보다 내아이가 상처받는걸보고 엄마는 그이상으로 상처받는답니다. 그런 상처들이 쌓여, 나와 내아이 외에 다른사람들을 믿을수없는 처지가 되어버린것이 많이 힘듭니다. 항상 경계하고 눈치보고…
1. What is the most difficult thing about being an unwed mother?
It seems hard to live as an unwed mom in Korea. Of course, people think that’s so hard because I need child care, make some money and do housework. But I can put up with physical hardship wanting to be happy with my kid. However, my kid feels hurt when I am being gossiped and finger-pointed because an unwed mom in Korea is morally judged. Seeing my kid being hurt makes me even more hurt. Such wounds are piled up, we can’t trust other people besides us. That’s so hard for me. I’m always wary of the other people and I try to read their face.

2. KUMFA로부터 어떻게 도움을 받았나요?
마음에 고향입니다.
내아이도 KUMFA의 가족들과 만났을때 가장 행복한 미소를 보여줍니다.
저 또한 다른 어떤 사람들과 있을때보다 KUMFA가족들과 있을때 위로도 많이 받고 마음의 안정을 찾습니다.
또 덕분에 자립할 의지를 얻어서 기술도 배웠고, 학교도 다니고있고, 창업을 계획하며 하루하루 후회없이 살고있습니다.
2. How has KUMFA helped you?
It is home to my mind. My child shows me the happiest smile when we meet other families of KUMFA. I’m also consoled and I find peace of mind when I’m with them. And thanks to them, I got the courage to be self-reliant. I learned technology. I’m going to school and I have a plan to get my own business. I live each day without regret. (I do my best every day.)

3. 미국에 있는 우리가 어떻게 당신을 도울 수 있을까요?
누군가 절 도와줄것이란 생각을 안해봤습니다.
제 인생은 제가 헤쳐나가야겠지요.
만약 도움을 궂이 주시겠다면, 이런 제안을 하고싶습니다.

저처럼 자립을 하고싶어하는 엄마들에게 일정의 교육과 탁아비용을 지원해주시길…

그리고 또 한가지는 제 욕심인데요.

저희가 저희를 싫어하시는 입양기관이나 또 저희를 싫어하시는 입양부모님, 그리고 사회의 저희를 싫어하는 일반인들에게 저희와 저희아이의 기본권을 보장받기위해 목소리 높힐때 항상 함께해주셨으면 좋겠습니다.

관심도 사랑이라고 알고있습니다.

관심 감사합니다.  ^^

사랑합니다!

3. How can we (in the United States) help you?
I’ve never thought someone would help me. It’s my life and I can overcome it.

But if you really want to help, I’d like to suggest these. If there are some unwed moms who want to stand on their own feet like me, please support some of their education and childcare costs.

And I know this may be an ambition, and I hope you’re always with us when we fight for rights of my kids and mine to be protected against an adoption agency which doesn’t like us, adoptive parents and all the other people who hate us.

I think showing interests is a form of love. Thank for your interests. I love you!!

More to come. . .

Choi Hyung Sook (from “Bittersweet Joke”) tells her story

This is a video of Choi Hyung Sook, a former unwed mom and former member of KUMFA, telling her story. She is one of the mothers featured in “Bittersweet Joke”, the film we’re showing at our fundraiser in June.

The video is from 2011, so keep in mind it may be outdated, but you can still learn about unwed mothers from watching it.