The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
& Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sports
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Video
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, May 26, 2022 | 20:42
Multicultural Community
Poetry event set to help unwed mothers
Posted : 2017-01-17 17:05
Updated : 2020-01-16 15:59
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down
By Celeste Kriel

Laura Wachs
Laura Wachs
A group of expat poets and actors are coming together this Saturday for an evening of spoken word poetry to raise funds for the Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association (KUMFA) which advocates for the rights of unwed mothers and their children in Korea.

Featured writers from all over Korea are to participate in the event which will include a special performance by KUMFA founder Megy Kim. KUMFA's goal is to enable unwed Korean women to have sufficient resources and support so they can keep their babies if they choose.

The event will take place at G-15 Sonnendeck in Itaewon-dong, Seoul, 6.30 p.m. Saturday. The night will feature performances from a number of talented expat and Korean poets. After the show, there will be an after (birthday) party with drinks and DJ's. The suggested donation is 15,000 won at the door.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare from 2007 show that 96 out of 100 pregnant unwed women in Korea will have abortions and only four will give birth.

KUMFA said that it's not far-fetched to assume that the four women who give birth to their children, choosing to face social stigma and family rejection, likely want to raise their own child.

KUMFA was founded to support unwed mothers in Korea who are subject to socially and financially challenging conditions where the Korean government's rate of support is often not enough.

According to KUMFA, since the 1990s, 90 percent of the children adopted both internationally and domestically each year are the children of unwed mothers. Laura Wachs, a KUMFA member who is a Korean adoptee, and a talented poet, decided to celebrate her birthday by hosting the poetry event to raise awareness and funds while bringing spoken word artists together for the cause.


Before moving to Korea, Wachs was funded for a KickStarter project, "The Voices of Korean Adoption." It was set to be a poetry anthology written by adoptees from around the world.

"At the time I had no knowledge of Korea, Korean adoptee organizations or activism work already taking place and the politics. I learned later that adoptees already had a platform and a poetry book wasn't innovative or new," said Wachs.

However, in 2014 she was introduced to KUMFA through the adoptee organization KoRoot and participated in a march with them at City Hall. While in Korea, she had the idea to highlight the plight of single mothers.

"While on a vacation trying to find inspiration and motivation for my KickStarter project, I had an idea. I wanted to shift the narrative to also incorporate voices of single moms, as they were a group I hadn't heard from. In that, I wanted to teach them to express themselves in the medium of poetry and use the book to help spread awareness, and fight for social welfare from the government."

Along with this project, she volunteers with KUMFA, helping where she can.


Of the founder, Megy Kim she says, "Megy is a courageous woman I admire and respect. After our work together, we now call each other "sister", and I hope with my heart to stand in solidarity with her and fight for women's rights to keep their children with adequate resources and no shame."

Emailceleste.gabrielle.kriel@gmail.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
  • Gunman kills 18 children at Texas elementary school
  • Korea to allow visa waiver at Yangyang airport for int'l travelers from 4 countries
  • Over 76% of Koreans support legalizing euthanasia
  • Will government establish new immigration agency?
  • North Korea launches missiles to test Seoul-Washington deterrence
  • N. Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles, including 1 suspected ICBM: JCS
  • [INTERVIEW] Defender of inter-country adoptees' rights
  • Japan's unwelcome move
  • Auditing firms compete to secure rookie accountants
  • US forces anger animal rights group for brutally executing stray cats with air gun
  • Former GFriend member Yuju sings on track for drama 'Kiss Sixth Sense' Former GFriend member Yuju sings on track for drama 'Kiss Sixth Sense'
  • 'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell 'The Witch: Part 2' director still has more story to tell
  • Tim Burton's iconic world of misunderstood misfits returns to Korea Tim Burton's iconic world of misunderstood misfits returns to Korea
  • Park Chan-wook returns to Cannes with romance 'Decision to Leave' Park Chan-wook returns to Cannes with romance 'Decision to Leave'
  • BLACKPINK on cover of Rolling Stone BLACKPINK on cover of Rolling Stone
DARKROOM
  • 75th Cannes Film Festival

    75th Cannes Film Festival

  • People in North Korea trapped in famine and pandemic

    People in North Korea trapped in famine and pandemic

  • 2022 Pulitzer Prize: Bearing witness to history

    2022 Pulitzer Prize: Bearing witness to history

  • Worsening drought puts millions at risk

    Worsening drought puts millions at risk

  • Our children deserve the best

    Our children deserve the best

The Korea Times
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Location
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Service
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • 고충처리인
  • Youth Protection Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group