- Headline: "Preventing Unwed Mothers Among Runaway Factory Girls"
- Subheading: CAPOK Mothers' Support Club Delivers Lecture in Cheongju
- Source: Dong-A Ilbo
- Date of Publication: June 15, 1974
- Summary:
The Mothers' Support Club (or the Mothers' Club) of the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK), led by President Hyunsook Shim, is a discreet volunteer group working behind the scenes. Since its founding three years ago, the club has held monthly meetings, organized charity events, bazaars, and seminars, and visited foster families to support CAPOK’s efforts. Last year alone, it handled 348 counseling cases involving unwed parents, provided temporary care for 373 children, and facilitated the domestic adoption of 166 children. Recognizing the importance of preventing unwed motherhood, the group has decided to step out from behind the scenes and directly address the issue by organizing enlightenment lectures in factory districts this year.
Under the leadership of Jung-sik Jang (35), ten volunteer members visited the Cheongju Textile Company’s second factory and Daenong Co., Ltd. In the dormitories of Cheongju Textile, which house 250 female workers, the women work eight-hour shifts in three rotations. Wages range from 15,000 to 30,000 won, with opportunities for promotion every two months. Dormitory rules are known to be strict. At Daenong, an estimated 4,500 female workers live and work in close quarters. The Mothers’ Club delivered lectures to these factory girls, many of whom are poorly educated, and far from home with no proper adult guidance. The talks emphasized the dangers of irresponsible relationships and the importance of avoiding premarital pregnancies, warning that even a single mistake can ruin a woman’s life. They urged these girls, who live in lonely and challenging environments, to cultivate emotional stability through healthy hobbies and positive activities.
The Mothers’ Club plans to continue holding these traveling lectures twice a year. In the early 1970s, discourse surrounding unwed motherhood in South Korea increasingly focused on young, poorly educated female factory workers, particularly within narratives promoted by the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK). These efforts were not merely theoretical; the organization actively conducted sex education programs targeting female factory workers in industrial districts.
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