The life of the late Father Lee Tae-seok has been reevaluated.
On the 27th, KBS2TV's 'Celebrity Soldier's Secret' revealed the story of the late Father Lee Tae-seok, who served with love and sacrifice in Tonj, South Sudan.
Previously, Father Lee Tae-seok decided to join the religious order, giving up his resident physician exam, and engaged in medical service and missionary work in Tonj, South Sudan.
On this day, an interview with Father Lee Tae-seok's fourth sister was revealed. The fourth sister said, "When Tae-seok said he would go to South Sudan, our mother cried a lot. Our mother asked if he couldn't take care of patients on a remote island in Korea, but Father Tae-seok said there are many people who could go there, but no one could go to Sudan."
Lee Nak-jun noted, "In underdeveloped areas, a doctor from a developed country is almost like a god. I can understand why Father Lee Tae-seok did not stay in the country and went instead."
To overcome the harsh conditions in Tonj, South Sudan, Father Lee Tae-seok contemplated building a hospital. He went out to the banks of the Nile River to gather sand himself. He decided to make bricks from the sand to build the hospital. Eventually, he completed the hospital.
Father Lee Tae-seok and the villagers gained confidence. Father Lee Tae-seok began a second construction project to rebuild a collapsed school. He became a teacher to the children in the school.
Father Lee Tae-seok met a 15-year-old named Manuel. Manuel arrived at Father Lee Tae-seok's hospital with a gunshot wound. He came to Father Lee Tae-seok while using crutches and being drunk. Manuel shed tears for the first time since becoming a soldier as he spoke to Father Lee Tae-seok.
Father Kim Sang-yoon, who watched Father Lee Tae-seok's life, said, "I wondered why the people of Tonj didn't say thank you, but it turns out they didn't have the word for 'thank you.' They had never received anything from someone, so they didn't have even that word." This saddened those around him.
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