'Like Father, Like Son'... Gangbuk-gu's 30-Year Donation Angel Father is the 'National Painter' Late Kim Tae-hyung

[Seoul District News] Dr. Kim, an otolaryngologist in Gangbuk-gu, donates 10 million KRW annually for over 30 years to neighbors in need... His father was the late Kim Tae-hyung, illustrator of the elementary school textbook 'Cheolsu and Yeongi'... Father illustrated national textbooks for 30 years, son donates for 30 years... Gwangjin-gu provides meals up to 15 days during home treatment and recovery for elderly living alone

An illustration scene of the late artist Kim Tae-hyung's Cheolsu and Young-i

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) announced that it raised approximately 960 million KRW in donations and goods through the 2022 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Project, which was carried out over three months from November last year to February this year.

Among the heartfelt contributions from various local residents, there is a notable figure who has been practicing neighborly love unchanged for decades.

Kim ○○ (73, otolaryngology specialist), who has been running an otolaryngology clinic in Suyu-dong, Gangbuk-gu since 1983. This winter as well, he donated 10 million KRW to the district office without fail.

Every year, when the ‘Warm Winter’ project to help underprivileged neighbors begins, Director Kim quietly visits the Gangbuk-gu Welfare Policy Division to leave his donation. He says it is a promise he has kept for over 30 years. Although the amount is not large, he only asks that it be used to help those in need.

"Thanks to the support of the residents this year, I was able to operate the hospital without any issues. I want to give back to them even a little."

Although the hospital’s situation became difficult recently due to the spread of COVID-19, he expressed gratitude to the neighbors, saying it was thanks to them that he managed.

Director Kim says he learned consideration and volunteer spirit for neighbors from his father. His father was the late Kim Tae-hyung (born 1916, passed away 1993), a painter who worked as a national textbook illustration committee member from 1948 and drew elementary school textbook illustrations for about 30 years until the early 1980s.

The illustrations of ‘Cheolsu and Young-i,’ recently made more famous by Squid Game, are works by Kim the painter. He was recognized for his contribution to the development of national education and was awarded the Order of Civil Merit, Dongbaekjang, at the end of last year.

In 2016, Director Kim held a 100th birth anniversary exhibition for Kim the painter at the Seoul City Hall Citizen’s Hall Gallery. While he is very proud of his father’s achievements, he strongly wishes to keep his own name and good deeds private.

"Continuing my father’s intention to bring warmth and comfort to the hearts of the people and those educated in that era through his affectionate and heartwarming illustrations, I also want to continue donating as long as my health permits," Director Kim expressed his ongoing commitment to philanthropy.

Park Kyum-soo, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, "We thank Director Kim and his father for practicing unwavering love even under the increasingly difficult conditions due to COVID-19. We will use the collected donations carefully so that they are delivered intact to neighbors in need and become seeds of hope."

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Seon-gap) has started providing non-face-to-face meals to ensure the safety and health of elderly people living alone who are undergoing home treatment.

Currently, elderly people aged 60 and over receive medical monitoring twice a day during home treatment, but with the end of material support for home treatment patients, there was concern that elderly people living alone might not properly care for their health during home treatment, delaying recovery.

Accordingly, the district quickly implemented the ‘Non-face-to-face Meal Support Service’ of the Care SOS Center to secure the safety of elderly people aged 65 and over living alone during home treatment.

This project delivers two meals a day in a non-face-to-face manner, providing balanced meals to elderly people living alone during home treatment to support their health recovery, while also confirming daily receipt of meals to enable immediate response in emergencies.

In particular, the district provides non-face-to-face meals for up to 15 days depending on the health recovery status of elderly people living alone, in addition to the 7-day home treatment period, differentiating it from other meal support services for home treatment patients in Seoul and elsewhere.

Those with a standard median income of 130% or less (single-person household 2,528,255 KRW) can receive the service free of charge, while others pay 8,400 KRW per meal.

The service is available to any home treatment patient aged 65 or older living alone, and applications can be made by calling the Care SOS Center at the local community service center.

Kim Seon-gap, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, "We expect the non-face-to-face meal support service to be a practical help for elderly people living alone to overcome COVID-19 healthily."

In addition to the non-face-to-face meal support service for elderly people living alone during home treatment, the Gwangjin-gu Care SOS Center also provides various special care services such as ▲ youth caregiver family care support ▲ short-term care service for single-person households after discharge ▲ care support for hospitalized children.