KSS Feeder Orphanage:
Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province).
Please note that KSS had MULTIPLE “Feeder Orphanages” - places from which KSS children were sourced / housed BEFORE being transferred to KSS prior to their adoption to the West. This page is specifically about ONE of KSS’ Known “Feeder Orphanages”:
Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province).
Please do NOT confuse Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province) with “CHOONG Hyun Babies Home in Seoul”.
“CHOONG Hyun Babies Home in Seoul” was a DIFFERENT known feeder orphanage for children adopted through the Korean Adoption Agency HOLT (and perhaps other Korean Adoption Agencies - we don’t know).
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For a complete list of KNOWN KSS “Feeder Orphanages”, please see:
Please note that this page is UNDER CONSTRUCTION as of February 26th, 2025.
Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province) - Contact Info.
The Choon Hyun Baby Home / Choon Hyun Babies Home (충현원) in Kwang Ju / Gwangju (Jeolla Province).
PLEASE NOTE that this is NOT the same orphanage as the similarly named “CHOONG Hyun Babies Home” in Seoul.
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Choon Hyun Baby Home / Choon Hyun Babies Home (충현원) in Kwang Ju / Gwangju (Jeolla Province):
| Website | Address: 210 Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Kwangju, South Korea
Current Director as of February 2025: Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO - former KSS social worker in 1975, Mrs. YOO moved to Gwangju in 1976 and married the son of Mrs. Soonie PARK, the founder and former Director of CHBH. After Mrs. Soonie PARK passed away, Mrs. YOO became the Director, where she remains as Director (as of February 2025).
Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju is still open (as of February 2025) and the Director, Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO, was a social worker at KSS in 1975 prior to transferring to Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju in 1976. Her mother-in-law Mrs. Soonie PARK was the founder and Director of CHBH in Gwangju, and when she passed away, Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO became Director. Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO may be listed as a translator on some of your adoption documents if you were at KSS around 1975 / 1976.
It may be that KSS' US Partner Western Adoption Agency Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of Minnesota as well as the Netherlands had a connection to CHBH in Gwangju (see article translation below). LSS was where KSS Founder Kun Chil Paik interned when he studied at the University of Minnesota in the 1950s.
Recent Dutch KSS Adoptee Reunion With Her Birth Mother At Choon Hyun Babies Home (CHBH) in Gwangju (충현원) Makes Clear That CHBH Has Had Access To Records For Decades.
Birth family reunions are always bittersweet. While we are certainly happy to hear the news of the recent reunion of a Dutch KSS (Korea Social Service) Adoptee with her birth mother after visiting Choon Hyun Babies Home (CHBH) in Gwangju (충현원) in Gwangju (Jeolla Province), we are also saddened to realize that this KSS Adoptee had previously visited CHBH multiple times over the past 30 years and had met with the same Director without ever having previously received information about the KSS Adoptee’s birth mother, which CHBH apparently has always had, or had access to. It’s unclear exactly why this KSS Adoptee was suddenly and unexpectedly able to receive a document with her birth mother’s name on it during her most recent visit to CHBH in 2024. It may simply have to do with the fact that the long-term Director of CHBH, Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO was in a good mood, saw an opportunity with a good looking family for some good press, and decided to finally produce a document with the birth mother’s name on it which has likely been at CHBH for decades.
We are glad that the KSS Adoptee was finally given this document by CHBH’s long-time Director, Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO. Police managed to locate the birth mother within 24 hours, and the KSS Adoptee and the birth mom are a DNA match. We should note that Mrs. YOO was the one to contact media to document this “happy reunion”.
Our point is that many so-called “happy endings” are preceded by years or even decades of fruitless and heartbreaking search, because Korean Adoption Agencies and “Feeder Orphanages” like Choon Hyun Babies Home (CHBH) in Gwangju (충현원) often withhold crucial information from Adoptees.
We are still happy for this Dutch KSS Adoptee and her birth mother, who were reunited after 54 years.
However, there are countless OTHER Adoptees who ALSO once stayed at CHBH as babies or children who have NEVER received any information about their histories, despite repeated requests over YEARS of time. Reunion should not be up to the caprice of an orphanage Director and her mood or opportunistic needs. Adoptees’ right to origin is a FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT which is often precluded by reprehensitble gate keepers in Korea and the Western countries of adoption.
KJ Daily Article:
"Adopted Korean from the Netherlands, Ms. Kim Jang-mi, reunites with her birth mother and family at Chung-hyun Won in Gwangju. Even without words, they communicate with their eyes and hold hands to convey their feelings."
Paperslip Note: Please note that despite what the article below says, this reunion did NOT occur DUE to the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA test, which the birth mother appears to have taken several years prior to the reunion with her daughter, the KSS Adoptee. However, the KSS Adoptee had NOT taken the Korean Police Missing Person’s DNA test, meaning that there is NO WAY that the birth mother and KSS Adoptee could have matched this way. While police LATER confirmed that the birth mother and KSS Adoptee were a match through DNA testing, this is NOT how the birth mother was initially found.
Instead, it appears that Mrs. YOO, the Director of Choon Hyun Babies Home, has had in her possession for likely DECADES the old police report which had the KSS Adoptee’s birth mother’s name on it. Using this document, police were able to locate the birth mother in 24 hours.
We believe that this reunion happened after 54 years only because the KSS Adoptee spontaneously visited CHBH with her good looking family, and Mrs. YOO was in a good mood and saw a good press opportunity.
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Article title: “Dutch Adopted Kim Jang-mi Reunites with Birth Mother and Family at Chung-hyun Won in Gwangju”
"Even without words, we communicated with our eyes and held hands to convey our feelings."
2024. 08.07 (Wed) 20:07, Reporter Joo Seong-hak
On the morning of the 7th, Kim Jang-mi (third from left), who reunited with her mother and brother after 54 years at the Chung-hyun Won childcare center in Yangrim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, is taking a commemorative photo. / Reporter Joo Seong-hak
<Breaking News> "I've carried the pain of losing Jang-mi all my life... I'm so relieved to meet her before I die."
At 9:50 AM on the 7th, Kim Myung-im (79) met her daughter Kim Jang-mi (58), who she lost (Paperslip Note: “lost” is a bit of a euphemism) in her 20s, at Chung-hyun Won in Nam-gu, Gwangju. With red-rimmed eyes, she expressed her feelings.
After years of longing for her family, Kim Jang-mi, overwhelmed with emotion, cried in her mother’s arms like a newborn.
This long-awaited reunion after 54 years was made possible with the help of the Gwangju Ilseon Police Station and the Chung-hyun Won, where Kim Jang-mi stayed before going to the Netherlands.
The day before, they confirmed each other's identities through a video call and met again with their respective families to verify their mother-daughter relationship.
While the most conclusive DNA test results have not yet come out, Kim Jang-mi's brother, Kim Dong-geun (62), compared photos of their maternal grandmother and his sister, saying, "She looks just like her. This must be my sister," while looking at Kim Jang-mi’s face repeatedly.
Having gone to the Netherlands at the age of 7, Kim Jang-mi could not speak Korean at all, so staff at Chung-hyun Won assisted communication with her Korean family using smartphone translation apps.
After some time following their first meeting, Kim Jang-mi shared how she had lived in the Netherlands, introducing her husband and two sons.
Upon hearing Kim Jang-mi say, "I’m living happily," Kim Myung-im shed another tear of relief.
Having lost her husband early on, Kim Myung-im has been solely responsible for her family's livelihood, wandering from place to place since her 20s to earn a living.
At the time of her separation from her two daughters, she had no stable housing, making it impossible to search for them.
Decades later, as her children matured and her family found some stability, Kim Myung-im resolved to search for her lost daughter, Kim Jang-mi.
Though she had no way of knowing whether her daughter was alive, she submitted her DNA to the investigation agency in 2017, hoping to be contacted if her daughter was also looking for her.
On the 6th, about seven years later, she received a call from the local police station saying they might have found her "daughter," prompting her to travel from Cheongju to Gwangju with her children, putting everything else aside.”
Paperslip Note: Please note that this reunion absolutely did NOT happen due to DNA testing. The KSS Adoptee had NOT taken the same DNA test which her birth mother had taken, meaning that they could NOT have matched through DNA testing this way. Instead, it appears that Mrs. YOO, the Director of Choon Hyun Babies Home, has had in her possession for likely DECADES the old police report which had the KSS Adoptee’s birth mother’s name on it. Using this document, police were able to locate the birth mother in 24 hours. This is why the birth mother came to CHBH with her family to meet her daughter, the KSS Adoptee - NOT because of DNA testing. The birth mother and KSS Adoptee only CONFIRMED through DNA testing that they were related AFTER they had already met.
We believe that this reunion happened after 54 years ONLY because the KSS Adoptee spontaneously visited CHBH with her good looking family, and Mrs. YOO was in a good mood and saw a good press opportunity.
”While heavy topics were exchanged, when Kim Jang-mi asked, "What is my real age?" the family replied, "According to the registry, you're born in '66."
Kim Jang-mi responded, "In the Netherlands, I’m 56, but now that I’m in Korea, I’m two years older," which made everyone laugh together.
Despite some difficulties in communication due to language differences, it felt as if they shared many stories through their eyes and clasped hands.
As their conversation continued, a representative from a private company arrived at the scene faster than the police verification process to collect DNA samples from Kim Jang-mi and Kim Myung-im. Final confirmation results are expected around the 9th.
A Chung-hyun Won staff member stated, "Thanks to many people's help, this meeting was made possible. I hope they confirm their family ties and that this will lead to meeting their younger sister, who is still missing."
/ Reporter Joo Seong-hak
ARTICLES About Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province).
Below are various related articles and videos.
Blurb about Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province) from a Dutch publication:
The Choon(g) Hyun Baby Home in Kwang Ju (sic)
“Kwang Ju is located in the south of Korea and is a city the size of The Hague. Mrs. Soonie Park, a young widow, founded the children's home and ruled it for 20 years. In the late 1980s, her son took over.”
Paperslip Note - Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO (the current director of CHBH) worked at KSS in 1975 as a social worker, then moved to Gwangju in 1976 to marry the son of Mrs. Soonie Park. Mrs Hye Ryang YOO eventually became Director of CHBH, which she still is today, as of February 2025.
”Over the years, the shed in which the daycare started has been expanded to include a crèche, an infirmary and an outpatient clinic that offers free medical care to children. The Support a Child in Korea Foundation has supported this home for many years. Because Mrs. Park was against foreign adoption, only a few times children from this home were offered for adoption. The home is located in a hilly suburb of the city and is surrounded by pear trees. “A cozy home where Mrs. Park takes care of the children like a mother. Small buildings and playgrounds for children in a garden that is abundantly in bloom and betrays the green hand of the owner,” says an old travelogue.”
Article About Choon Hyun Babies Home in Gwangju (충현원) - (Jeolla Province).
Update: January 15th, 2025 -
Weirdly, information about Choon Hyun Babies Home keeps “disappearing” from the internet. Good thing we have backups!
Click here for a PDF of the previously linked (now disappeared) article in Korean.
Click here for a PDF of the previously linked (now disappeared) article in English (Translated via Google Translate).
Please note that the article above was translated to English pre-ChatGPT. ChatGPT is far superior to Google Translate for Korean text translation. We have created a better ChatGPT translation of the article below:
NEW English ChatGPT Translation - we have BOLDED the ENGLISH ChatGPT translation. Please note that “Chunghyunwon” is the SAME as “Choon Hyun Babies Home” in Gwangju (Jeolla Province):
유혜량의 삶과 꿈이 넘실대는 현장 광주의 소망과 섬김의 장 1976년 고건 지사 개관식 여성으로 당당히 전문가 반열
"The scene where Mrs. Hye Ryang YOO’s life and dreams ripple
A place of hope and service in Gwangju
The opening ceremony of Governor Ko Gun in 1976
Confidently standing as a professional as a woman"
*Please note that the shorter man pictured is KSS Founder Kun Chil Paik (Alternately: Baek Geun-chil / Paik, Kun Chil / 백근칠).
The ChatGPT translated article identifies the two men as: Jeollanam-do Governor Ko Gun and Chairman (KSS Founder) Baek Geun-cheol (sic).
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Text on the stone pillar:
충현아동의원
"Chunghyun (Choon Hyun Babies Home) Pediatric Clinic"
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1976년 충헌아동의원 개관식, 고건 전라남도지사와 백근철 회장 [기독미션 전남도민일보]정리/김수화 기자= 한국 사회복지의 선구자 충현원 소개 3.충현원의 변천 한국의 경제성장과 더불어 1970년부터는 기독교 정신에 입각하여 한국전쟁 전 후에 발생한 전쟁고아들의 보금자리였던 고아원 운영이 바뀌었다. 생명존중과 태어난 아기는 친부모가 길러야 한다는 것을 모토로 1972년부터 사회문제 치료 사업에서 사회문제 예방 사업으로 바뀌어 운영하는 사회복지기관으로 전환하였다. 1976년 네덜란드 후원으로 이루어진 광주 최초의 어린이 공공놀이터 기공식 산업화가 되어가는 사회변천에 따라 요구되는 여성들의 사회진출이 절실한 상황이 되어 갔다. 광주 최초의 어린이집, 아동상담소, 무료아동병원과 공공어린이놀이터(현재 사직도서관, 영상문화관, 테니스코트 자 리)가 네덜란드 후원으로 세워졌고, 호남종합사회복지관을 개관하여 사회분제 예방에 크게 기여했다. 네덜란드로부터 고아 전용 무료 아동병원 건물 건축후원금이 도착하여 건축을 하려 했으나 충현원 부지가 당국으로부터 아무런 통보도 없이 1967년부터 도시공원 계획에 묶여 불가능하다는 것을 알게 되었다. 그 리하여 보내진 기금은 쌍촌동 887-5번지에 지방에서는 최초의 사회복지기관인 호남종합사회복지관을 건립했다. 소년·소녀 가장들은 기관에 수용되지 않고도 친인척 집에서 생활하면서 학비와 생활비를 지원받을 수 있게 하는 제도가 마련되었고, 현재까지 진해오디고 있다. 1945년부터 1995년까지 광주지역에 사는 50명의 소년·소녀가장들에게 초등학교부터 고등학교 졸업까지의 학비와 생활비를 지원했다. (한화아동재단과 미국 루터런소셜 서비스를 도움 받음)
"1976 Opening Ceremony of Chunghyun Pediatric Clinic, with former Jeollanam-do Governor Ko Gun and Chairman Baek Geun-cheol
[Christian Mission Jeonnam Daily] Compiled by Reporter Kim Soo-hwa = Introduction to Chunghyunwon, a pioneer of social welfare in Korea
3. Changes of Chunghyunwon
With the economic growth of Korea, starting from 1970, the operation of orphanages, which had been a refuge for war orphans before and after the Korean War, was transformed based on Christian values.
With the motto of respecting life and that biological parents should raise their children, it shifted from a social problem treatment organization to a social problem prevention organization in 1972.
In 1976, the groundbreaking ceremony for Gwangju's first public children's playground, sponsored by the Netherlands, took place.
As society underwent industrialization, there was an urgent need for women to enter the workforce. The first daycare center, children's counseling center, free children's hospital, and public children's playground in Gwangju (currently the location of Sajik Library, Video Culture Center, and tennis courts) were established with support from the Netherlands, and the Honam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center was opened, significantly contributing to social problem prevention.
After receiving funding for the construction of a free children's hospital exclusively for orphans from the Netherlands, it was found that the Chunghyunwon site had been tied up in urban park planning since 1967 without any notice from the authorities, making construction impossible. Therefore, the funds were used to establish the Honam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, the first social welfare institution in the region, at 887-5 Ssangchon-dong.
A system was established to support boys and girls who were head of households, allowing them to live with relatives while receiving financial support for education and living expenses. From 1945 to 1995, support was provided for the education and living expenses of 50 boys and girls living in the Gwangju area, from elementary school to high school graduation. (Assistance received from the Hanwha Children's Foundation and American Lutheran Social Services)"
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충원아동의원 진료모습 1975년부터 1989년까지 30명 순천 지역 중고등학교 학생들의 등록금 및 생활지원금, 생일 선물금, 성탄 선물금을 당시 순천사회복지관을 통하여 전달했다. 순천성결교회 장로이며 순천사회복지관 관장 남영희 와 김덕신 권사가 대상 아동들을 선발하여 추천하여 주었다. 1979년 생전의 박순이 선생은 이렇게 회고하고 있다. "한국전쟁의 고아들은 몸도 마음도 성치 않았다. 저는 여자이고, 미망인이었고, 연약했어요. 이 과업은 제 능력 밖의 일이었고 하지만, 저는 지난 31년 동안 '한 알의 밀이 땅에 떨어져 죽지 아니하면 한 알 그대로 있고 죽으면 많은 열매를 맺느리라'(요한복음 12:24)라는 하나님의 말씀에 다라 다양한 복지사업을 추진했고, 저 또한 많이 발전할 수 있었습니다." 한편 1954년부터 아이들이 초등학교에 가기 시작하자 실력 있는 정규자격을 가진 시댁 큰조카 딸에게 부모 없는 아이들의 교육을 맡아 줄 것을 제안한다. 이에 김갑회는 목포에서 초등학교 교사로 재직하다가 충 현원 사업이 너무나 훌륭하고 좋아서 사표를 내고 충현원에서 결혼하기 전까지 7년 동안 헌신하였다고 한다. (2014년 김갑희 증언) 이후 충현원은 사직 공원부지로 묶이며 관심의 사각지대에 놓이게 된다. 결국 1995년 2월 박순이 선생은 세상을 떠났다. 박순이 선생의 유언은 "나는 지금 천국에 가는 것은 확실하고 '근심하는 자 같으나 항상 기뻐하고 가난한 자 같으나 많은 사람을 부요하게 하고 아무것도 없는 자 같으나 모든 것을 가진 자로다'-고린도후서 6장 10 질? 성경말씀을 영어와 함께 묘비에 써달라"고 하셨다. 그 이유는 "나는 이 말씀에 숨을 쉬고 산다. 누구에게도 굽히지 않고..."하시면서 해외로 보낸 자식(입양인)들이 오면 읽어 보도록 하고 싶다고 하셨다. 그리고 자녀들에게는 '날마다 너를 향하신 뜻을 여쭙고 살아 라' 이다. 이 유언을 통하여 너무나도 힘들었던 삶을 하나님 의지하고 살아온 그분의 힘을 보여주고 있다.
"Treatment Scene at Chunghyun Pediatric Clinic
From 1975 to 1989, tuition and living support, birthday gifts, and Christmas gifts for 30 middle and high school students in the Suncheon area were delivered through the Suncheon Social Welfare Center. Elder Nam Young-hee of Suncheon Evangelical Church and Deaconess Kim Deok-sin selected and recommended the children.
In 1979, the late Teacher Park Soon-i reflected, 'The orphans of the Korean War were not physically or mentally well. I was a woman, a widow, and weak. This task was beyond my ability, but for the past 31 years, I have pursued various welfare projects in accordance with God's word: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24). I was also able to grow a lot.'
Meanwhile, from 1954, when children began attending elementary school, she suggested that her capable niece with formal qualifications take on the education of parentless children. In response, Kim Gap-hoe, who was working as an elementary school teacher in Mokpo, found the work at Chunghyunwon so admirable that she resigned and dedicated herself for seven years before getting married. (Testimony of Kim Gap-hee, 2014)
Later, Chunghyunwon became tied to the Sajik Park site and fell into a blind spot of interest. Ultimately, in February 1995, Teacher Park Soon-i (CHBH Founder Mrs. PARK Soonie) passed away.
Her last words were, 'I am certain that I am going to heaven. "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" - 2 Corinthians 6:10. Please write this scripture along with the English version on my tombstone.'
She explained, 'I live and breathe these words. I do not bow to anyone...' She wanted her children, who had been sent abroad (adopted), to read this when they came. She also advised her children to 'ask every day about the will God has for you.' Through these last words, she shows the strength with which she lived her very difficult life, relying on God.”
End of NEW ChatGPT article translation.