Bereaved family builds kindergarten
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Hye Ryun Kindergarten in Vanuatu opened on July 11, funded by the bereaved family of Mauna Ocean Resort accident victim. / Courtesy of Hyundai Heavy Industries
By Yoon Ja-young
A kindergarten opened July 11 on the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific funded by the family of Go Hye-ryun who died in a widely-publicized tragic accident in 2014. The modern two-story building, which offers five kindergarten classes, is a rare sight on the island.
The late Miss Go Hye-ryun was 18 years old when she was accepted to Pusan National University of Foreign Studies to major in Arabic. She went to a welcoming party for the freshmen held at Mauna Ocean Resort in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The roof of the auditorium where students had gathered collapsed under the weight of heavy snow, taking 10 young lives and injuring dozens more.
The disaster which was caused by poor safety regulations angered many people. The bereaved were offered 600 million won in compensation, but their loved ones will never come back.
Hye-ryun’s father Go Gye-seog, who works for Hyundai Heavy Industries, decided to donate the compensation after reading Hye-ryun’s diary. She wrote about her plan to help the underprivileged after finishing college. Growing up in a devoted Christian family, the young lady wished to become a missionary after she learned the languages of other countries.
The family donated 200 million won to Pusan University of Foreign Studies to establish a scholarship fund named after Hye-ryun.
The rest was donated to build the kindergarten in Vanuatu. The beautiful country located northeast of Australia has little to invest in education infrastructure as its per capita annual income stands at around $3,000. After meeting the residents from Vanuatu who visited the church that the Go family attends, they decided to build a school there to brighten the life of the Vanuatu children.
In addition to funding the construction, the father visited the construction site, taking care of the construction process in detail. The rest of the classrooms in the school building will soon open for elementary, middle and high school students. The family hopes Hye-ryun’s dream will come true with the school.