Family overcomes all difficulties 

Difficulties in life come at the most unexpected times. When life tries to kick you down, the only thing that brings you back on your feet is family. I met up with Lee Myeongcheol to hear his life story as one who continues to persevere through life with the difficulties of being the head of a family, albeit the head of one he loves a lot. 

Lee Myeongcheol’s hometown is close to the Tumen River. Near his hometown was a coal mine where thousands of laborers worked. His village was a residential area where the workers lived. Upon graduating from high school, he followed in his parents’ footsteps to work at the mine, which was the only choice he really had. He had a talent in the arts. But having talent doesn’t mean you get to live life the way you want with it. Loving his youngest son, his father tried to protect his dream in all kinds of ways. Thanks to his father’s efforts, he started work as a official (artists) and calligrapher. North Korea considers propaganda work important, so there are officials at every major factory. Being under the direct control of the party, official's work is comfortable with not much oversight or control. Continuing his career, he started his own family and soon became the head of a family of four. When providing enough for his family became difficult, he started having a lot of thoughts. Thanks to his geographical advantage of living near the Tumen River, he could easily get exposure to Chinese culture. Comparing his life to those of the Chinese, he began to face a dilemma. Thinking that he’d have to pass on his life to his children, he pitied the difficult lives that were destined for them even from their birth. He wanted to pass on a life and world where they could study and eat as much as they wanted. This pushed him to defect from North Korea. 

Carrying the burden of being the head of a family, he came to South Korea in July of 2008. With his new hope and dreams, he started looking for work. Following his friends, who came to Korea before him, he jumped into the construction field. But working far down in the countryside, away from his family, didn’t fill his mind with peace. He got his driver’s license and started work as a delivery man. He combed through alleyways and climbed up hills. Delivering to stand-alone houses was more difficult. He couldn’t just leave the parcels in front of doors or with the security guard like at apartment buildings. He had to call the clients and go to their houses at times when they were there. Sometimes the clients would be home very late, but he did his work without complaint or feeling tired. When he had to leave parcels with the guard, he would prepare a drink beforehand. Guards who would initially be stand-offish, thinking he was from China upon hearing his accent, would slowly open up and even be the first to offer to keep the parcels. Working hard soon paid off. Just when he was getting familiar with the work and bringing in more income, his body started acting up. Diagnosed with hepatocirrhosis, he took some time to rest. After a few days, the built-up exhaustion soon melted away. One day out on the street he saw people hanging on two ropes from tall buildings. Being the adventurous type, he headed over to where they were working. Hearing that just doing your job in the area you’re designated to brings no further stress, he made up his mind. Doing just that, being diligent and consistent with his work and duties, he got jobs from different firms and grew his workload. Seeing his children grow up strong as well, he felt proud thinking that he had done all that he could as the head of the family. 

But in April 2017, misfortune came. He was in an accident in which he fell while cleaning the exterior of a building. In the blink of an eye, he collapsed onto the cement floor, breaking his heel and 3 of his lumbar vertebrae, along with his ability to do work.  With the head of the family down, the lives of his dependents were upended. Rather than worrying about his body, his mind weighed heavy thinking ‘I can’t be responsible for my family anymore’. After some time passed by and his broken body was slowly starting to heal, his hepatocirrhosis got worse. Eventually in January 2018, he underwent surgery for a liver transplant. Overcoming 16 hours of surgery, his long battle for recovery began. His body healed slowly. Life kept pressing him down. Years of treatment soon emptied his savings. As time went by, debt accumulated and threatened his life. He had to find work again. His broken back wasn’t fully healed and he was even diagnosed with scoliosis. Staying seated throughout the day was bearable, but the nights were filled with pain. Having a weak back he couldn’t even think about work that required strength. 

Despite his broken body, his family was the motivation that helped him to overcome the difficulties and keep him going, bringing him to start driving once more in March 2020. He acquired a truck, to be paid in installments. He joined the cargo mutual aid association and started his transportation business. But seeing that his body wasn’t the way it was before, there were many difficulties while working. To choose a transport item, it was necessary to carefully examine whether it was heavy or not too difficult to unload. Considering every other factor, there’s actually not much work that could be done. Needing immediate income, he took in every work his body could handle. He had to go to the hospital almost every day since starting his work. When his body became too heavy and exhausted, he found himself in the emergency room. Having a bad liver brought on health complications. Thankfully his health started to improve and the periods between hospital visits a have gotten longer. The source of his strength, which carried him through illness and difficulties, was love for his family. His very life is about loving his family and being responsible as its head. He says that family brings happiness, and just thinking of his family brings him strength to overcome every obstacle and hardship.