Wedding march of the handicapped couples

The Won Am Foster Home in Soyan, Wanju County, located on the outskirts of Chunju of Northern Cholla Province, is a public welfare facility home for housing those neglected and ignored by the society; the mentally retarded and minor delinquents. 57 men and 41 women live in this home. They practice gardening as a part of their psychological therapy and in an effort to become self-supporting. But it has not been possible to solve numerous questions regarding their sexual needs. Last May, as a possible solution, the superintendent married those men and women who were attracted to each other. The marriage solved not only the sexual questions but brought about psychological stability and therapeutic results as well. It was followed by a second group-wedding in July. Among the nine newly-wed couples, some suffer from a combination of lower intelligence, speech impediment and epilepsy. There was even a couple over the age of 50 with the bride’s wedding veil concealing her wrinkled face. This programme centers around the loving and touching life of the newly-weds Jae-Hyun Koo (46) and his wife Jung-Ja Han (36), who suffers from speech impediment and mental retardation. In Jae-Hyun Koo’s case, he was thrown out from his home by his parents and brothers for his mental disability and after a fight over the family inheritance. In the eyes of those defined as normal, the life this couple leads will seem clumsy, pitiful and perhaps something they want to ignore, but the happiness that the newly weds have found in being together is immensely gratifying and a thing to be treasured. Unfortunately they can never learn the satisfaction and pleasures of having children for fear of transmitting their genetic disorder.