culture

So Yun Ok, a woman living in Songgyungwan-dong, Kaesong, is an uncommon mother who began to adopt and bring up orphans in her girlhood more than 50 years ago.

At that time she was distinguishing herself as a girl innovator at a mine in South Hamgyong Province. One day during the morning rush hour, a strange boy looked at Yun Ok attentively. She asked him why, then he said he remembered seeing her photo pasted on the bulletin board of the mine. The boy who had lost his parents by accident came to the mine village to stay with his distant relatives, but as he failed to meet them, he was on his way back home. After hearing him, Yun Ok could hardly leave him.

Having been living with her two little brothers since their parents died when she was very young, she asked the boy if he would live with her.

Then he threw himself into her arms.

Yun Ok thus became a “girl mother” at the age of 16. Later, she adopted the children of a miner who died while working with her.

She still went on to work hard as an innovator while looking after five children including her own brothers, and she had the honour of being admitted to the Workers’ Party of Korea in her twenties.

Her devotion to and affection for the children were quite sincere. Thus they all grew up well to join the army to defend the country. In those days she married an army officer, and she took maternal care of the soldiers before giving birth to a child.

In the hard times, even after adopting another eight orphans, she would sleep in peace only after giving a handful of rice to any needy person. One day one of her adopted children asked her why she helped others though they were not well off.

Yun Ok replied, “It is a human being who regards others’ pain as his own and helps others in difficulties.” 

Her true and pure sincerity just served as nourishment for the characters and patriotism of the children.

Her children grew up learning how to support and love the country, as they witnessed her decades of selfless devotion to the orphaned children, and now they all work hard faithfully and honestly at their posts.