Part Three: Love is Enduring - My Family
	23. My First Son, Young Tae, Dedicated to God
	Our dear Young Tae was our first precious child and we had a worship service, dedicating him to God. He was so sensitive in his early childhood that he was awakened even by a small rustling sound. Until he was 4 years old, he always said “aji, aji,” when he was taught to say abuji (regional dialect, meaning father; “abeuji” being the proper pronunciation). When I told him to add the “bu” in between, he said “aji-bu” instead, making us all laugh. Since he was slow in picking up words, I worried somewhat that he might be a slow learner. Because Young Tae had so many younger brothers and sisters, I wanted to raise him to become independent. I only went with him to school on the first day and not once after that. When he entered sixth grade, he began to get higher marks than the other students. During that year at his elementary school he only got one wrong answer in all math exams he took. His homeroom teachers said that he didn’t even need to have an answer sheet, for he only had to look at Young Tae’s exam. In those days, his middle school (which was affiliated with Gyeongbuk Teachers College) selected its students through a special exam and Young Tae passed it with an outstanding score. His homeroom teacher thought highly of him. Whenever it was time for the students to clean the school washrooms only Young Tae stayed behind, while the other students all ran away. When he was in elementary school, he found an imported pencil at home, broke it in two and threw it away saying that we shouldn’t use anything made in foreign countries if we wanted to strengthen our poor economy. Despite the fact that there were many brilliant students at his middle and high school, Young Tae often received awards. When he was a senior in high school, the Liberal Party was in its last ruling period in the country. The people around Dr. Syngman Rhee influenced the government to become a dictatorship. Young Tae worried about this, saying, “Mom, what will become of our country if this keeps going on?” Everyone told him to be silent whenever he started to discuss this. One day, his friend who was in charge of the library, broadcasted the funeral of Dr. Byung Ok Cho, the leader of the opposition party. When the homeroom teacher found out about it, he struck his face. Young Tae’s strong sense of justice was outraged. It was the teacher’s turn to be surprised. Young Tae asked him, “Why can’t we, in a democratic country, broadcast the funeral of the leader of the opposing party and why is it that the meaning of democracy you’ve taught us is so different from the democracy we see in the country?” The teacher and Young Tae debated for one hour about this matter. The teacher was so upset that he called Young Tae to the teachers’ lounge later on and told him as he began weeping, “Young Tae, everything you said today was true. However, in our country’s present situation, if what you said leaks out, what will happen to our school, a public institution?” Young Tae just went home. When it became dark, one after another, his friends came to see him. I asked him, “Why so many of your friends?” He said, “Before, I tried explaining things to them, but they didn’t know what I was talking about. But now, things made sense to them after they heard me argue with the teacher for an hour today.” They talked till very late that night. They were preparing for a nation-wide demonstration, having contacted all the other high schools to rise up at the same time like the demonstration on March 1 (the day of the famous demonstration for the independence of Korea that took place nationwide in 1919). But the plan went wrong as Gyeongbuk High School students went ahead and demonstrated on their own. That was when the tragic February 28 incident took place in Daegu. Young Tae’s high school teachers knew about the demonstration beforehand and kept it a secret. My husband was in Seoul on business when I got a phone call from Young Tae’s school, asking me to take him home as soon as possible. Suspecting that my son was plotting something, I had made a long distance call to my husband the night before and he said that he would return home by plane the next day. I tried persuading Young Tae to come with me to the airport. He told me in a frustrated tone, “My friends are all waiting for me in the library.” So I answered him, “Since the incident had broken out and Dr. Syngman Rhee, having been educated in the States, would soon act to settle the situation when he finds out about it. Everything would be all right, so you don’t have to worry.” On the way home from the airport, my husband worried about our son. He said, “Young Tae, I am already closely watched by the government because I haven’t joined the Liberal party. What’s more, since you were involved in such a thing, I can’t do business anymore.” Young Tae answered, “Father, what good is it for us to be rich at a time when our politically unstable country is on the brink of collapse?” My husband could not respond because he knew that our son was right. Afterwards, the fraudulent election of March 15 took place and a tragic event occurred in Masan on April 19. Many students were killed in a demonstration. When Dr. Syngman Rhee, not knowing the situation, heard the cries of the people he asked, “What is going on?” His advisors untruthfully replied that the people were praising him. Nevertheless, Dr. Rhee discovered the truth and resigned from the presidency saying that a government hated by the public is no longer a democracy. It was later said that when Dr. Rhee was on his way to being exiled in Hawaii, upon seeing a gold accessory at the end of his cane, he took it off and left it behind, saying that it belonged to the country. When I heard this, I realized that Dr. Rhee wasn’t to blame for the failure of the Liberal party. It was rather was due to the people working under him who prevented him from hearing public opinion rather than any personal wrongdoing on the part of the president. Though he lived his life for the independence of his own country, mistakes in his advanced age caused the people’s anger to rise against him like angry waves. Young Tae studied more diligently after this incident. Ever since his childhood, he had always been interested in mechanical things, even taking apart many watches to see how they worked. He wanted to go to an engineering school, but he changed his mind and decided to apply to law school instead. He said that he wanted to work so that justice ruled in the country. His teachers worried a lot, for though Young Tae was very bright having changed his goal so close to the entrance examination date, there wasn’t enough time left for him to study. On top of this, two undercover policemen stood in the alley in front of our house to watch Young Tae’s every move. Our son said not to worry. He added, “They will go sooner or later when their legs hurt.” Young Tae studied very hard. He passed the entrance exam to the College of Law in Seoul National University. I believed that all of this was a blessing from God and thanked Him with all my heart. Young Tae came home from Seoul during summer vacations. Since he had always been fashionable, I thought that he would return home in a new suit. But to my surprise, he came back wearing a rather shabby corduroy suit. I asked him “Why are you wearing such shabby clothes? You are attending a prestigious school, Seoul National University.” He replied “I am rather well dressed compared to other students. My friends are thriftier than I.” He arrived at dinner time, but since I hadn’t prepared any special dishes for him, I asked him, “Do you want me to order some dishes from the Chinese restaurant?” He answered, “Mother, as someone from the countryside, I walked around so much in Seoul for sightseeing. Two of my shoes have already worn out from so much walking. I saw nice beautiful houses there and found out that they belonged to the Chinese. I don’t think they came to Korea with much money, so how could they earn so much? It’s because many Korean people bought so much Chinese food. Kimchi and dwenjang would be good enough for me, Mother. I’ll be happy with that.” (Kimchi is pickled cabbage, a spicy side-dish, while dwenjang is a salty bean paste. Both are typical traditional dishes in Korea). I was very grateful to hear that! Young Tae had a friend who had been competing with him for the top ranking in high school. That friend had been admitted to the College of Engineering at Seoul National University. Young Tae asked his father, “Father, if you give a four year scholarship to this friend, in exchange, I will not ask you for a big allowance, nor will I spend money on buying new clothes. Since Young Tae had asked his father so earnestly, my husband willingly agreed to help his friend. Young Tae let this friend stay in his dormitory and gave him his radio and his leather jacket, sharing all of his good things with him. That friend received the highest honor at his graduation ceremonies. During vacations, Young Tae used to travel all over Korea working odd jobs to earn money. He came to experience different kinds of work, even hard, manual labor. One day, while he was working in the Samchoek coal mine, he ran into one of his university upperclassmen in the office. As he finished talking with him, he was about to go to work in the mine, but at that moment the company’s president was visiting from Seoul. The latter being my husband’s friend, upon hearing my son’s voice, he called Young Tae to come to his office, for my son’s voice is very similar to my husband’s. They talked until quite late that night. My husband’s friend, worried that Young Tae might get hurt, sent him back home the next day. My son is very active, just like his father and when I asked him one day, “Why are you wandering around experiencing such things?” and he said, “If one wants to be a leader, one has to experience all kinds of work.” He paved his own way as an independent individual, from his childhood to his adulthood. Young Tae has a strong and persevering nature. After he graduated from the College of Law, he went into the Graduate School of Business Administration at Seoul National University. When he graduated from the latter, he had received the highest honor in spite of other tough competitors who had come from the departments of Economics and Management. One cold winter morning, our gardener came running to me and asked me, “Have you scolded your son the previous night?” Since I didn’t know what he was talking about, I asked him why and he told, “I saw your son sitting on a straw mat out in the garden, looking greatly disturbed. So I persuaded him to go inside, afraid that he might catch a cold.” Upon hearing this, I immediately asked Young Tae what had happened. He answered, “Mother, I talked back impolitely last night when you said something. Later on, I felt so bad, realizing that I had become such an ungrateful son. I wanted to repent, so I tried to pray in the garden. But the gardener was worried that I would catch a cold, so I had to return to the room. Mother, please forgive me.” When I heard this, I was greatly moved. In an era when people thought that the olden days of filial devotions were over, how could I not be impressed at Young Tae. Others had no regard for their parents or the rest of their family, and only lived for themselves. My son lived according to the Word of God, trying to honor his parents with his heart. I jokingly said one day to my loving filial son, “I’d love to see you get married and have children, but what will I do when your children call me grandmother? I’ll feel so old.” And he said, “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll teach them to call you ‘daddy’s mother.’ ” He and I broke into laughter. Still young, deep down, I worried a bit about feeling old, but once my grandson was born, I no longer worried. Even before Jung Hahn learned how to speak, I couldn’t help but try to teach him to call me grandma. Though I once thought that there wouldn’t be much pleasure in becoming old, I have found much joy in playing with my grandchildren in my old age. I realize that people could never imagine such a thing unless they experience it for themselves. It is written in the Bible, “May you see your children’s children!” (Ps. 128:6). When I feel a bit tired, I get new energy when my grandchildren run to me, shouting, “Grandma!” It is said that among all creatures, a human being is most beautiful, and I realize this is true when I see my dear grandchildren. Although my own children were dear to me, raising them was a strain because having to care for them even in the middle of the night meant I wasn’t able to sleep soundly and always felt tired. In contrast, my grandchildren sleep well in their rooms all night and just play with me during the day, so they appear even dearer to me. They are sweeter when their mother scolds them and they look for me, saying, “I’ll tell grandma….” Just like my grandchildren are dear to me, all the children in the neighborhood are dear to me as well. The large family system in Korea is very beautiful. Ever since Young Tae married, he and his wife have lived with us and waited upon us. Every morning and every night, Young Tae greets my husband and I and does everything to please me. He has three sons and Jung Hahn, the first son, is brilliant. The second son, In Hahn is very humorous and the third, Shin Hahn is artistic. Young Tae is the president of Daesung Oxygen, which owns many other companies, forming Daesung industries. Whenever I am unwell, his devotion to me is so strong that I am sometimes moved to tears. He shows affection to his brothers and sisters, leading them very well. In 1976, he became a deacon at Young Nak Presbyterian Church. I worried if he would be able to carry out his responsibilities well because he was so busy at the company. When I told him, “You are now a deacon,” he replied joyfully, “Great, I am I you had wished for.” I thanked God, being truly grateful. He was so devoted that I even saw him once go to a church meeting after a long busy day without even having dinner. Whenever I was sick, he would see how I was by saying, “Elder Yeu, your son has come,” and then would leave after taking care of me, by saying, “I’ll be back soon.” He has given his tithe to God since 1957. I am most pleased when my children live with a firm faith and give glory to God. Young Tae also received the grace of humility; whenever he meets anyone, he behaves modestly. He also loves his wife very dearly. I pray to the Lord, believing that Young Tae, who was dedicated to God, will do many works for Him. My daughter-in-law Jung Hyun Cha is a beautiful woman. She graduated from the College of Music at Seoul National University as a piano major. She is so devoted to me and my husband and also loves her brothers and sisters. She is an obedient daughter-in-law and does her best to live by faith. Young Tae’s first son, Jung Hahn, studied at London University, his second son, In Hahn, entered Korea University’s Department of Political Science and Foreign Affairs, and his third son, Shin Hahn, attends Amherst College. “Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility goes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12). “Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Prov. 22:29). “Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked” (Prov. 25:26). “A wise man is mightier than a strong man, and a man of knowledge than he who has strength” (Prov. 24:5). “The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life” (Prov. 22:4).
	22. My Husband, Soo Keun Kim, a Successful Businessman
	23. My First Son, Young Tae, Dedicated to God
	24. My Second Son, Young Min, and His Temperate Lifestyle
	25. My First Daughter, Young Joo, Born with a Talent in Painting
	26. My Second Daughter, Jung Joo, Dedicated to Jesus Christ
	27. My Third Son, Young Hoon and the Cross
	28. My Last Daughter, Sung Joo, a Businesswoman
	29. My Mother’s Advice
	30. My Conviction for Children’s Education

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