Seoul (AsiaNews) On Sunday 14 May, a Protestant pastor and his wife from the town of Kumi (south Korea) brought their 12th child into the world. That day, the house of Rev. Kim Suk-tae, 47 years, and his wife Um Kye-suk, 42 years, was overwhelmed by reporters from the best newspapers: the latest birth made the Kim family the nation's largest.
Responding to a journalist, who asked them the reason behind such a courageous choice, the pastor said: "My wife and I consider each child to be a gift of God and we are grateful to him because all our children are in good health."
But keeping such a large family with a monthly salary of around 700 euros (800.000 won) is problematic even in Korea. "Certainly, it is not easy, from a financial point of view, to maintain a family as large as ours," admitted Kim. "But the joy we feel amongst ourselves absolutely overcomes any burdens." One concrete problem is trying to find a table to seat 14 people: since he could not find one in any furniture shop, the enterprising pastor built one himself.
The article in the Korea Times dedicated to the Kim family featured a photo of the family taken during their summer break: the mother and father flank the children who are in the middle, six sisters and five brothers. The latest arrival, a little sister, was resting on her mother's breast. The eldest, aged 19 years, was holding one of her younger siblings in her arms.
Around a week ago, the government of Seoul noted a worrying statistic, reported by AsiaNews: the birth-rate in South Korea (1.08) is the lowest of all member states of the OCED (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: cfr AsiaNews). The 12 children of the Kim couple of Kumi are a gift of God and their gift for the nation.
