"Reunion with Heo Sung-tae": A stateless Koryo Korean finally sets foot on Korean soil… The 30-year miracle of 'Hope TV'

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

SBS's flagship social contribution program, 'Hope TV,' will meet viewers with a special anniversary broadcast.

'Hope TV' will highlight the special changes created by sharing through its anniversary special broadcasts on the 13th and 14th.

'Hope TV,' which has continued for 30 years since its inception in 1997 as 'Kia Experience 24 Hours,' plans to go a step further than simply introducing "people who need help" for this special, showing how sharing has changed one person's life.

History communicator Choi Tae-seong and SBS announcer Choi Young-ju will serve as MCs for the first day's broadcast. It will be aired live from 8:40 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The first featured individual on this day is the Koryo Koreans that actor Heo Sung-tae reunited with in Uzbekistan.

Previously, Heo Sung-tae met with descendants of independence activists Han Seong-geol and Ma Chun-geol alongside Good Neighbors, directly examining the history of their ancestors' independence movement and the current reality faced by Koryo Koreans today. In particular, his reunion with Mr. Lee Vitaly, a stateless Koryo Korean introduced through 'Hope TV' in 2024, draws attention.

At the time, Mr. Lee Vitaly could not properly prove his identity due to lacking nationality. However, support from viewers continued after the broadcast, and he finally obtained a passport. As a result, he will step onto the Korean soil he had longed for so much and stand in the 'Hope TV' live broadcast studio.

The reality of Koryo Koreans conveyed by Heo Sung-tae will also be revealed. Although more than 160 years have passed since the forced migration to Central Asia, descendants still face poverty, disease, and educational issues, and in Ukraine, Koryo Koreans live where even fleeing during war is not easy due to their lack of nationality.

Parts 2 through 3 will introduce another "change over time."

Assistant Clinical Professor Park Seong-ju in the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Sungkyunkwan University nurtured his dream of becoming a doctor while watching 'Hope TV' as a child. He returns to 'Hope TV' as the attending physician for the young patient featured in this broadcast.

Following this, it will convey the reality of families of critically ill children undergoing long-term treatment, including 3-year-old Si-eun who suffers from DiGeorge syndrome and Fabry disease, 11-month-old Jae-i who is awaiting a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, 11-year-old Ro-un who has Crohn's disease, and 2-year-old Ra-hee who requires multiple heart surgeries.

Jeffrey Jones, President of Ronald McDonald House Charities Korea, and Professor Park Seong-ju will discuss the need for a "home close to the hospital," which is as urgent as treatment itself.

Through the case of 14-year-old Hae-rin's family, who continues cancer treatment while living at the Ronald McDonald House, operated by support and donations, it will also examine how spaces in front of hospitals provide strength to young patients and their families.

In Part 4, Choi Tae-seong will search for traces of Koreans who left for Mexico 121 years ago alongside World Vision.

In 1905, 1,033 Koreans headed to the Eneken plantation in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Despite harsh labor and poverty, they sent money earned through sweat and blood as funds for the independence movement. Choi Tae-seong will directly visit Progreso Port, where Koreans first set foot, and the Eneken plantation, following the traces of that time.

In particular, it will vividly convey life at the time through the testimony of Mr. Sixto Kim Gan-che (95), who worked on the Eneken plantation from a young age. His father, independence activist Kim Dong-soon, also sent money earned on the plantation as funds for the independence movement and participated in activities with Heung Sadan.

However, even now, 121 years later, some descendants of independence activists are struggling with medical expenses, livelihood costs, and housing issues. Choi Tae-seong will highlight "the independence movement we did not fully know" and the current state of its descendants.

On the 14th, the story continues with "returning time to children."

In Part 7, held together with Green Umbrella, actors Ko Doo-sim and Song Il-guk, broadcaster Lee Hyun-ee, and SBS announcer Choi Hye-rim will appear. The children they meet are "family caregiver children" who, at an age when they should be protected by their families, have instead become caregivers for sick parents.

Stories will be introduced of 11-year-old Eun-gyeol, who cares for his mother battling terminal cancer and takes charge of household chores; 12-year-old Ji-hoon, who looks after two younger siblings in place of his sick father; 8-year-old Han-bit, who does grocery shopping and meal preparation by the side of her mother suffering from a rare refractory disease; and 11-year-old Jun-seo, who dreams of becoming a doctor while caring for his wheelchair-bound mother.

In the same Part 7, the 'Dream With Buddy' project, held together with SBS, KLPGA, and Medihill, will also be introduced. It is a project that accumulates funds every time golf players record a birdie to support the dreams of children and adolescents from disadvantaged groups. Through the story of student Kim Yu-ri (pseudonym), who dreams of becoming a special effects makeup artist, it shows what kind of change supporting one child's dream creates.

The stage for the final Part 8 is Cheongsan-myeon, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.

The 'Hope Up Project,' carried out together by non-profit corporation Jump and 'Hope TV,' is Korea's first full-time long-term volunteer project in which four young people live directly in a region at risk of extinction for eight months to create change in the village.

The young people taught children science, English, art, and sacheon-nori (traditional Korean percussion), and transformed empty spaces into a Hope Shelter for the elderly and a Youth Photo Studio. They served meals made with ingredients they farmed themselves and delivered side dishes to senior centers, becoming part of the village's daily life.

Singer Lee Mi-ju, known as the "Goddess of Okcheon," will also visit her hometown of Okcheon to join as a one-day volunteer team member. She will encourage the young people who have created change in Cheongsan-myeon over eight months by teaching children dance and playing gateball with the elderly. Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-joong will also visit the site to examine the changes created by the project.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original