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
meters.
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
traveled 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 cooperated 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 has raised more than US$2 million to help the
youngsters.
(China Daily June 27, 2006)