Fired for feeding stray cats, former guard shares life of extreme poverty

Park Soo-il, a former security guard at a Seoul apartment complex, was dismissed for what the company cited as "excessive kindness" – specifically, feeding stray cats. This act of compassion, however, led to his termination, prompting him to write his life story at the urging of a resident. His handwritten account, penned on discarded paper, offers a stark and poignant glimpse into a life defined by relentless hardship and poverty.

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I like cows, dogs, and cats because I have experienced hunger. When I think of how they suffer from hunger if people don't feed them, I can't help but cry.

Park's narrative begins with his childhood in a rural village, where he lived with his mother after his father disappeared from his life. Their poverty was so severe that young Park resorted to begging for food. He vividly recalls his mother boiling a handful of shriveled grains of rice with water, creating a meager broth that barely sustained them. The memory of his younger brother eating his share of the solidified gruel, and his subsequent angry reaction, still haunts him, a testament to the gnawing hunger that dominated his early years. Education was a luxury he could not afford; he never attended elementary school and only managed to learn by memorizing borrowed textbooks, returning them at the end of each term.

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I was so hungry that I went to neighbors' doors and begged. I don't remember how I asked, but I must have felt that we would all die if I returned with an empty bag.

At the age of 11, driven by the need to escape starvation, Park became a farmhand. He recounts working in households that were not wealthy, serving as a substitute for a son away in the military, tending to livestock and fields. This period of his life was marked by constant movement, working in various households across different villages. His mother passed away when he was 16, a loss he attributes to the chronic hunger she endured. He describes the agonizing task of carrying her body up a mountain for burial, a moment of profound grief and isolation.

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I couldn't go to elementary school. I was envious of the children going to school. The principal asked if I wanted to study. I nodded, and he gave me 'free textbooks.'

Park's life continued to be a series of struggles. After his mother's death, he found himself alone and destitute. He returned to working for wealthy families, not for money, but simply for food. He spent his youth working as a farmhand, often questioning why he was born into such poverty. At 24, he left his life as a farmhand behind and moved to Pohang, working as a delivery assistant. A scheme by his sister-in-law to invest his wages resulted in him losing his entire earnings. Finally, at 39, he managed to buy a 14-ton truck with money saved from working as a truck loader, striving to live an honest life transporting goods across the country. His story is a powerful testament to resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.

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When I was 16, my mother passed away. I carried her body up the mountain and buried her.