[Provided by Suwon City]
[Provided by Suwon City]

A Suwon resident surnamed Kang spent more than 60 years as a person who, on paper, did not exist — not a covert operative, just an ordinary citizen with no legal identity.

Born in 1964, Kang was never registered at birth. His parents sent him to live with relatives without filing a birth report, and he spent his childhood moving from one relative's home to another before being placed in a care facility. After leaving the facility, he drifted alone with no fixed address. It was a life of unrelenting hardship.

Without a resident registration, Kang had no health insurance and was shut out of basic social services — welfare, financial services and the rest. Steady employment was out of reach. His lifelong wish was simply to live an ordinary life like everyone else.

He visited multiple government offices over the years trying to establish a family registry, but the answer was always the same: registration would be difficult. He eventually gave up and lived that way for decades.

Last August, he walked into the Saebit Civil Affairs Office at Suwon City Hall — grasping at straws, as he later put it, and not expecting much after so many failed attempts.

Kim Gyeong-suk, a veteran team leader at the office, listened to Kang's story and carefully verified the facts of his situation. Just as Kang had said, no birth report had ever been filed, and neither a resident registration nor a family registry existed in his name. Kim set out to find a way to help him recover his legal identity.

She walked Kang through the process for establishing a family registry and coordinated with the relevant agencies. The effort formally began in September last year when a petition was filed with Suwon Family Court seeking permission to create a family name and lineage record.

Kim connected Kang with legal experts for consultations and supported him through every procedural step — from preparing documents for the court to accompanying him to hearings. She was by his side at every visit to Suwon Family Court, the district office and the administrative welfare center.

On June 18, Suwon Family Court granted permission to establish a family registry. On June 24, Kang filed the registration and completed a new resident registration.

With his legal identity restored after 60 years, Kang received a national ID card and can now exercise the basic rights of a South Korean citizen — accessing welfare and medical services and conducting financial transactions.

"Please make sure to pass along my deepest gratitude to Suwon Mayor Lee Jae-joon," Kang said.


fob140@heraldcorp.com