Aren't you the son of a well-known Southern wealthy family?

I don't see how you starved for a steak dinner, either New York sirloin or filet mignon?

What about so many guys from our class who were just poor like me?

Even so, I still miss our good old days with clean air, clear water, and friendly folks.

Best regards,

Kwan Ho 

Poor as a church mouse? Oh, it has nothing to do with my personal/family background in Korea, KwanHo, but it is part of my new(?) life here in the U.S. I built solely with my own hand, no Korean connection, no sir!

When I came to Richmond in 1968 to start my fellowship, it was an official trip for two years sent by SNU with full salary payment by the Korean Government. But after I resigned the position SNU Dept of Surgery in order to start my residency at MCV (Med Coll Va) instead of going back to SNU as originally arranged - I had to pay back whole salaries I received for two years including 갑근세 unfairly!-, I had to make a living solely based on the salary I received as a resident.

Yes, of course, I was able to continue to receive some financial support from my family back in Seoul as before, but I decided NOT to, any longer because of my enormous guilt that I literally betrayed the family as the first son of 경상도 양반 family, refusing to come back to Korea after two-year fellowship as originally pledged, despite the whole family back in Korea wished me to come back so badly including my parents. Another word, I abandoned the family as the first son, totally against our old 양반 개념! So how could I get such thick skin to ask for continuous financial support!?

So I didn't get the penny out from the family in Korea since then. Indeed, I signed off entire inheritance - except Shin Young Hospital building my father built for Dr. Min ByongChul as the gratitude for his help to save him from acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis- to my mother and my eldest sister after my father passed away and then now to my youngest brother who lately returned to Korea to take care of the family like the first son of the family, instead of me.

Nevertheless, the reputation of 경상도wealthiest family you mentioned has nothing to do with me, KwanHo.

By 경상도 양반 tradition, all the wealth my family accumulated as 지주 for generations - it was 30,000 석 at my grandfather’s level and NOT 50,000 석 as 조선일보correctly described through their조선명가 series in early ’90 as No.1 명가 so that the wealth wise, actually No. 3 throughout the country, after 민 clan and 윤clan - was inherited solely to the first son, my father’s eldest brother, uncle 이활, one of the founders of 고려대학 재단 with 김성수 donating 5,000석. But my father as the third son inherited only 500석 though he became a successful businessman later independently by himself with no relationship with this small fortune he received from his parents. 

Anyhow, regretfully all three sons, me and my two brothers, refused to come back to Korea to take over his business so that all my father’s fortunes he earned through the hard works are now all gone to become another sad story of my family!  

BB Lee

P.S. Actually Min clans amassed 70,000 석 by the extortion of 인두세 he collected while serving as 평안감사 and Yoon clans amassed 50,000 석 by selling the 참봉 title while serving as 비서실장(?) to the last king of Yi Dynasty as I know of. Therefore, the editors of 조선명가 series of 조선일보 considered them as illegitimate wealth and bypassed to the third wealthiest family in 경상도 as No.1 조선명가, I was told.

That is quite a family history, and you firmly decided to build your own future in this great country of opportunity.

That is very good for you though your father suffered a big disappointment being unable to inherit his great assets to you.

We have been on the mainline(종가) for the thirteen generations, inheriting about 500 석 for generation after generation being a reasonably well-to-do family.

My great grandfather made 10,000석 so-called 만석군 during his lifetime. My father couldn't figure out how he could make so much out of simply agricultural management, possibly he did some kind of business, such as commerce, which was looked down on in those days. 

However, my grandfather and father made consecutive failures on export business to China until all the wealth drained completely. That's before my birth, and soon after I was born, our mansion at 적선동 was sold and we had to go to a rental house. My father had ten years of American education funded privately from possibly 1903 to definitely 1914.

That's just a bygone old story.  I tried to find his footsteps, which was only partially successful since he didn't leave any documents or reliable writings. He studied at the Williston Seminary, currently Williston Northampton (Boarding) School from 1909 to 1913, and a one-year freshman course at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1914.

However, I believe he had arrived at NYC in 1903 when he failed the entrance exam at a school (must be an elementary school). He was given 3 months' time to prepare for the re-examination, which he passed.

I tried so hard to find this private elementary school in Manhattan, New York, but couldn't find the school. I did find his address from his Williston School record, being 633 West 115th Street, New York City at least from 1909 to 1913, Guess what it could be. It is currently the Korean Methodist Church and Institute, 뉴욕한인교회. Many years later, this Church was built. Father had seen 이승만목사, who baptized father...

Isn't it interesting?

Kwan Ho

Doc, I was wondering a few things about you who, as I knew, came from a rich family. 

It used to be a piece of a riddle to me. I didn't have a gut to ask you directly.

I asked a few people but nobody knew. It was a kind of secret, wasn't it?

Now I got to know why you are what you are and also why you are not what you were.

Actually, I know a few other people just like that.

Because of the guilty feeling of having betrayed the family by not going back to Korea,

these people declined to receive financial help from home while they were struggling in America.

I hope that what they have achieved in America is better than what they could have done in Korea.

My sincere respect to you and the others I know.

That might have been the way to go for peace of your (and their) mind.

I hope what you have achieved in America is more satisfying to you.

Thinking about myself, I would guess that if "I" have stayed in Korea,

"I" might have ended up being "a church mouse" by now. ㅎ, ㅎ, ㅎ.

I am lucky to be here in America that gave me more opportunities than anywhere else.

Thanks for your kind words with sympathy, Steve.

Indeed, it was a part of my personal life I chose but with full of guilts.

As a matter of fact, many friends of mine who know my background well never understood why I abandoned Korea even after I fully established through SNU, etc. before I was heading to the U.S. and never came back to pick up the lead.

Yes, I did have more than enough credits since my high school days to lead the pack in Korea but -------! 

Sadly, while I was in Korea for Samsung Medical Center, quite a few colleagues in 경상도 inquired

why I openly criticize 경상도 despite my family is the pride of 경상도 as 조선명가 제 1 호 to make me feel

so embarrassed.  But, I simply cannot resist my deep resentment to 경상도 양반 tradition and ambivalent

with such reputation(?) as 조선명가 제 1 호, I personally have nothing to do with.

It rather gave me such grievance along with my final decision to choose my college sweetheart as my spouse,

after such agony, since she was born in Seoul but both parents were originally from North Korea, for example.

So I escaped from this invisible bind in a way to the U.S. so that I determined to show the people that I could do

as good as if not better here in the U.S. and did hard work to compensate this guilt - a bit silly to make me look 팔불출 but I would like to let you take a look the UIP Newsletter: http://www.uip-phlebology.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/February-2020-UIP-Newsletter-English.pdf

to comprehend what I achieved to lessen my guilts to remain here in the U.S.

So, I am doing OK!

BB Lee

Dear BB: Can youi help me by opening my webplage "Direct Uploading from Amazon Photos"

located right nrxt to your latest webpage, and  look at my eight images there?

If you can see all images intact there, then my use of Amazon photos is successful.

Please let me know.

It is just my trial to know if this uploading works or not in other computers though I can see them well.

Thanks,

Kwan Ho