2016.12.15 00:19
Dear Friends,
This was the 10th year of our life in Toero after my retirement from the University.
We had to endure the killing heat in July and August, heavy rain and earthquakes in September, and a typhoon in October. The farm produce was widely and badly damaged and in Toero, we had only a few persimmons or ginko-nuts left on trees after the strong wind and heavy rain. Rice was spared from the damage but the low price will not help farmers.
As if the natural disasters were not enough, there came a bombshell from the presidential palace, Blue House, in late October.
President Park admitted that she inadvertently allowed an evil-minded shadow president to meddle in almost all national and foreign affairs since the beginning of her presidential tenure. It appears that we elected a lonely, insecure, and ill-prepared President into the Blue House. Millions of people holding candle lights are on the streets demanding the President to step down. We are facing uncertainties in all fronts; social, economic, and political.
"Do not worry, friends", however, as we Koreans are people of wisdom and resilience and will navigate through the bumpy roads and eventually come out of this crisis with a united and better nation. We just hope that it will not take too long.
Despite all these disasters, my wife and I have been in good health and try to keep it that way by regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and balanced diet. My father is growing weaker at his age 92 but is still spending morning hours in his office in Shilshi Haksa Foundation every day. He donated all of his remaining books (more than 10,000 ea) to Jumpilje Institute of Busan National Universtiy (BNU) at Miryang Campus. They now occupy a section of BNU Library at Miryang Campus designated as "Byoksa Library". (Byoksa is my father's pen-name)
Our 3 children, their spouses, and 5 grand-children are all well. Inje, our first grandson and the 5th generation heir of Sang-mae-dang will be 6 years old in the New Year and is growing big.
Two papers were published in PLoS ONE this year with me as a co-author, one from the Global Fluid Study and the other on novel PAI-1 inhibitor from Hunjoo Ha's Lab. I still work at Kim's Clinic and Dialysis Unit 2 days a week and continue the community service with lectures on prevention of chronic diseases. I also continue to meet with village elders over lunch once a month.
For the first time this year I participated in the "Meet the Scholar" program organized by the Korea Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), of which I am a life member, and talked with high school boys and girls "On their Choices for the Future" at Milsung High (Miryang, Kyong-nam Province) and Youngju High (Youngju, Kyong-buk Province). It was a refreshing experience to talk with young people and I hope I left them with something to think about.
This year we had 2 seminars, the 8th Korea-Poland Seminar on CKD and RRT at Ulsan in August and the 15th Korea-Japan DN Seminar at Asahikawa, Japan in October. I spoke on "Prevention of CKD" in both seminars. I enjoyed both Seminars.
I wish you peace in mind and happiness in your family in the New Year!
Jung Hee and Hi Bahl Lee from Toero, Miryang
|
금년에도 어김없이 12월 15일에 한국에서 이희발교수*65께서
연말 근황을 알리는 편지가 E-mail로 와서 이희발교수를 아는
동문 특히 65년 동기분들과 나누기 위해 여기에 내놓았습니다.
여러가지 어려운 고국에서 우선 두내외분 건강하시고 지금도
은퇴한 고향땅에서 환자들도 조금씩 돌보고 학업에도 손을 떼지
않으신 이희발 교수의 활동에 찬사를 보냅니다.
부디 내외분 계속 건강하시길을 기원합니다. 규정