Ethnic Koreans adopted in America support unwed mothers’ home here





For several Korean single mothers, it has already been a godsend ― providing them with a safe place to give birth when turned away from other facilities.



But when the country’s only shelter run for unwed mothers by the mothers themselves was threatened with closure, two Korean adoptees living in America launched a campaign to save the safe house in Seoul.



The Korean Unwed Mothers and Families Association has run the facility, named Heater, for the past year and has already provided seven women with somewhere to live immediately before and after giving birth.



The time period for staying at the Hongdae home is limited to two months in order to give as many moms as possible the chance to stay at the facility that can accommodate two women and their babies at one time.



“They stay there while they are trying to get on their feet immediately after giving birth. They live there for free, get food for free and even get a small allowance,” explained KUMFA volunteer and returning Korean adoptee Shannon Heit, who said the stigma of being a single mom heaped pressure upon unwed women here.



“A lot of moms pregnant out of marriage get kicked out of their houses or fired from their jobs. It is very difficult for them,” she said.



She explained that many unwed mothers opt to have abortions obtained in return for cash at private clinics although the practice is still illegal in Korea. Of the mothers who do give birth, many give up their children for adoption, she said.



Heit said that Heater was a haven for women making the choice to give birth, providing them with a better chance at keeping and raising their own babies.



She told of one mother who stayed there recently after she and her new baby, who was born with health defects, were turned away from another facility.



An unwed mother uses the facilities at KUMFA’s Heater shelter in Hongdae, Seoul. (Shannon Heit)