Jumat, 01 Mei 2020

Coronavirus: Irish government to relax some restrictions - BBC News

The Irish government has signalled an easing of lockdown restrictions from Tuesday.

People who are over 70 and currently cocooning can leave their homes as long as they avoid contact with others.

The 2km exercise limit currently in place for the Irish population will be extended to 5km.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar also announced a five-stage road map from 18 May, which would "reopen the country in a slow, phased way".

In a live televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the taoiseach said: "So on the 18th of May, Ireland begins to reopen and begins that journey to a new normal."

The majority of the lockdown measures will remain in place until 18 May, although two will ease in the coming days.

The road map after that is set out in five phases and will work on two-to-four week cycles monitored throughout, with each stage dependent on the success of the previous one.

Phase One (18 May)

  • Outdoor meetings between people from different households will be allowed and childcare for healthcare workers will be opened
  • Phased return of outdoor workers such as gardeners and repair workers, as well as the opening of retailers which are primarily outdoor
  • Certain outdoor public amenities will also be opened

Phase Two (8 June)

  • Household visits will be allowed and plans will be in place to open up business with consideration for safety of staff and customers
  • Small retail outlets will open with social distancing observed
  • Open public libraries.

Phase Three (29 June)

  • Small social gatherings will be permitted and playgrounds will open, while creches, childminders and pre-schools will be available for children of essential workers in a phased manner
  • Those with low levels of interaction can return to work
  • Non-essential retail outlets with street level entrance and exit can open.

Phase Four (20 July)

  • Creches, childminders and pre-schools will be opened for children of all other workers on a gradually-increasing basis.
  • Those who cannot work from home will return to work
  • There will be a gradual easing of restrictions for higher-risk services like hairdressers
  • Opening of museums, galleries and places of worship.

Phase Five (10 August)

  • Larger social gatherings will be allowed and workers across all sectors can return to the workplace
  • On a phased basis, commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2020/2021, primary and secondary schools and third level institutions will reopen
  • At this point there will be further easing of restrictions on high-risk retail services.

Mr Varadkar stressed the need for caution as "the risk of a second phase of the virus is ever present".

"If we relax the restrictions too soon, we could see our ICU overcrowded," he said.

"Everything we achieved would be lost, so we must go on a short time more."

The plans were agreed by cabinet after medical experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) provided advice to the government earlier on Friday.

The current lockdown period had been due to expire on Monday.

Mr Varadkar said the cabinet would meet on Saturday to agree further actions to help businesses restart.

Mr Varadkar said the last few weeks had transformed people's lives "in so many different ways and ways that we could not have imagined".

"I know it has been difficult - sometimes dispiriting," he said.

"The frustration of having our lives restricted. The uncertainty about when things will get back to normal. The fear of the virus itself."

He also spoke of the pain of the families unable to properly grieve for those who had lost their lives in recent weeks.

"When we come through this, we will come together as a nation and grieve together for everyone who has died over the course of this emergency," he said.

He said people had met the crisis with "remarkable courage and sense of solidarity".

Mr Varadkar urged the public to "stay the course" and "continue the fight".

On Friday, the Republic of Ireland recorded 34 more coronavirus-related deaths, taking its total to 1,265.

There were also 221 more cases diagnosed in the Republic, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 20,833.

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2020-05-02 05:12:41Z
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Kim Jong-un and the brutal North Korea rumour mill - BBC News

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared at a fertiliser factory, looking remarkably cheerful for a man killed off by rumour and some of the world's media last week. These will be carefully staged and timed photos, but what can we learn about the North Korea rumour mill from this and past episodes?

TMZ - among others - had him for dead; Chinese social media whispered that his doctors were too scared to operate and so he died before a Chinese medical team arrived - an apparent cautionary tale of being a casualty of your own fearsome power.

This is not the first time the North Korean leader has disappeared from public view. In February, he was absent for almost three weeks without wild speculation. In 2014, he was absent for 40 days - then the rumours went that he had been ousted in a political coup.

He turned up with a walking stick. It was not a coup, but perhaps gout.

South Korean intelligence later reported that he had undergone surgery on his ankle. Obviously none of this was confirmed by the North. They just kept pumping out the jocular photo opportunities from inspections and other public events seemingly untouched by rampant rumours - just as they have done today.

So what was it about this absence that allowed him to die in speculation?

There were three phases to the escalation. First, he missed a key anniversary on 15 April, the day of the sun, and incredibly important commemoration of the birthday of his grandfather, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-un is known to model himself on his grandfather's image, so missing this was reasonably seen as a sign that something was amiss.

Then a well-regarded defector website, Daily NK, which is funded by a US think tank, but which clearly also provides credible reports through its network, published a single-sourced story that he had undergone some sort of heart procedure and was recovering.

Stage three was when the world's media pounced on that report and ferreted out their own unnamed sources in intelligence communities and elsewhere - and a combination of these ended up with formulations of Kim being "gravely ill" or even dead.

Even as South Korea said they had not seen any unusual activity and even denied reports of this death, the rumours kept growing and the echo chamber grew louder. Chinese social media began playing its role with rumours circulating there too.

In none of this was there any actual evidence: there were some very insightful analyses of train movements and activity around the resort of Wonsan that seemed to weigh on the side that he might not have expired - yet.

So where do these sources who fuel speculation that spirals in the media actually come from? Surely there must be a North Korean origin somewhere? And are we seeing more than we used to?

Rumours have always happened and there is historical record going back 30 years on this. There are a couple of places from within North Korea they can originate.

In the past, what is known as the foreign trade sector in North Korea has been thought to be the source of some leadership rumours. The secretive Office 39 - the department that funnels cash and luxuries back to the leadership - is staffed by overseas operatives to travel back and forth from the DPRK. There is some level of communication to the inner sanctum and its coffers, and it has long been thought that some rumours originate from some of the extensive network of operatives we know exist- as testified by defectors who have worked there. Some then make their way into Japanese and South Korean media.

But that doesn't change much about the nature of the information - it's gossip.

If somebody works in the central party complex, there will be water cooler conversation. There is intense interest in the lives of the Kims - we know from accounts of people who have left. The equivalent of a water cooler chat based on one-third of a story can make its way out of North Korea more easily than people might assume.

Rumour and gossip are very prevalent in totalitarian systems like this. One example is recounted in the memoir entitled Wisteria House by Song Hee-rong, the maternal aunt of Kim Jong-nam - Kim Jong-un's estranged half-brother who was murdered in 2017. She talks about coming back to the Kim family compound and how one member of staff gave her information that Kim Jong-un's family was the branch currently in favour. Notably, she makes a point of saying her source was "reliable."

Again, in an information black hole you take what you can get and that is how it works with North Korea. In the fog of war there are not that many options. So the legitimacy conferred onto North Korean gossip is disproportionate.

Intelligence agencies around the world will also look at open-source information and use their methods to try to test hypotheses.

South Korea has its ways of monitoring the North - sometimes these involve satellites - and the Unification Ministry last week said they were actively monitoring the situation and had not seen anything unusual. It's an open secret that the US sends surveillance planes - this time it was reported in the world's media. They were checking things out.

So if some of this just comes from rumour - and remember it is very easy to call South Korea from the North (not vice versa) why doesn't the regime crack down on the rumours?

In 2008 conversations about Kim would happen in a closed room. Nowadays, the game changer is mobile technology. North Koreans who gossip about their leader will certainly be being tracked, but may not be cracked down on until a further opportunity arises. Kim is unlikely to be able to control this information flow - but if rumours are connected to people close to him or tied to him - one can expect consequences.

It's important to remember that most ordinary North Koreans know nothing. In his testimony to the US Congress in 2017 high profile defector Thae Yong-ho said most North Koreans would not even know their leader was educated in Switzerland. He advocated using satellites and smuggling chips the other way across the border to give ordinary North Koreans access to information.

In reality the people with access to accurate information about Kim's health are likely to be just a handful. That doesn't mean rumours can't slip out - but it does mean they may not be correct.

It's always been that way. In 1986 Kim Il-song was rumoured to have had a heart attack - it was fake even though it was reported at the time.

In 1990- 1992 Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il were shot to death on a train platform by the military - so said the rumour - that was clearly not the case.

There are three different accounts of a coup in North Hangyong province - of the sixth army corps - a company that has since been disbanded. We believe something happened, but the details are not clear. Then there is the rumour that Kim Jong-il died in 2003 and the country was being led by a body double.

Like everywhere else in the world, gossip still happens and rumours still circulate. Unlike everywhere else, we are left to the whim of the North Korean state to confirm or deny whatever they so wish.

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2020-05-02 04:43:53Z
52780758436825

Coronavirus: Irish government to relax some restrictions - BBC News

The Irish government has signalled an easing of lockdown restrictions from Tuesday.

People who are over 70 and currently cocooning can leave their homes as long as they avoid contact with others.

The 2km exercise limit currently in place for the Irish population will be extended to 5km.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar also announced a five-stage road map from 18 May, which would "reopen the country in a slow, phased way".

In a live televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the taoiseach said: "So on the 18th of May, Ireland begins to reopen and begins that journey to a new normal."

The majority of the lockdown measures will remain in place until 18 May, although two will ease in the coming days.

The road map after that is set out in five phases and will work on two-to-four week cycles monitored throughout, with each stage dependent on the success of the previous one.

Phase One (18 May)

  • Outdoor meetings between people from different households will be allowed and childcare for healthcare workers will be opened
  • Phased return of outdoor workers such as gardeners and repair workers, as well as the opening of retailers which are primarily outdoor
  • Certain outdoor public amenities will also be opened

Phase Two (8 June)

  • Household visits will be allowed and plans will be in place to open up business with consideration for safety of staff and customers
  • Small retail outlets will open with social distancing observed
  • Open public libraries.

Phase Three (29 June)

  • Small social gatherings will be permitted and playgrounds will open, while creches, childminders and pre-schools will be available for children of essential workers in a phased manner
  • Those with low levels of interaction can return to work
  • Non-essential retail outlets with street level entrance and exit can open.

Phase Four (20 July)

  • Creches, childminders and pre-schools will be opened for children of all other workers on a gradually-increasing basis.
  • Those who cannot work from home will return to work
  • There will be a gradual easing of restrictions for higher-risk services like hairdressers
  • Opening of museums, galleries and places of worship.

Phase Five (10 August)

  • Larger social gatherings will be allowed and workers across all sectors can return to the workplace
  • On a phased basis, commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2020/2021, primary and secondary schools and third level institutions will reopen
  • At this point there will be further easing of restrictions on high-risk retail services.

Mr Varadkar stressed the need for caution as "the risk of a second phase of the virus is ever present".

"If we relax the restrictions too soon, we could see our ICU overcrowded," he said.

"Everything we achieved would be lost, so we must go on a short time more."

The plans were agreed by cabinet after medical experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) provided advice to the government earlier on Friday.

The current lockdown period had been due to expire on Monday.

Mr Varadkar said the cabinet would meet on Saturday to agree further actions to help businesses restart.

Mr Varadkar said the last few weeks had transformed people's lives "in so many different ways and ways that we could not have imagined".

"I know it has been difficult - sometimes dispiriting," he said.

"The frustration of having our lives restricted. The uncertainty about when things will get back to normal. The fear of the virus itself."

He also spoke of the pain of the families unable to properly grieve for those who had lost their lives in recent weeks.

"When we come through this, we will come together as a nation and grieve together for everyone who has died over the course of this emergency," he said.

He said people had met the crisis with "remarkable courage and sense of solidarity".

Mr Varadkar urged the public to "stay the course" and "continue the fight".

On Friday, the Republic of Ireland recorded 34 more coronavirus-related deaths, taking its total to 1,265.

There were also 221 more cases diagnosed in the Republic, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 20,833.

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2020-05-02 03:54:54Z
52780752336780

Coronavirus: Irish government to relax some restrictions - BBC News

The Irish government has signalled an easing of lockdown restrictions from Tuesday.

People who are over 70 and currently cocooning can leave their homes as long as they avoid contact with others.

The 2km exercise limit currently in place for the Irish population will be extended to 5km.

Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar also announced a five-stage road map from 18 May, which would "reopen the country in a slow, phased way".

In a live televised address to the nation on Friday evening, the taoiseach said: "So on the 18th of May, Ireland begins to reopen and begins that journey to a new normal."

The majority of the lockdown measures will remain in place until 18 May, although two will ease in the coming days.

The road map after that is set out in five phases and will work on two-to-four week cycles monitored throughout, with each stage dependent on the success of the previous one.

Phase One (18 May)

  • Outdoor meetings between people from different households will be allowed and childcare for healthcare workers will be opened
  • Phased return of outdoor workers such as gardeners and repair workers, as well as the opening of retailers which are primarily outdoor
  • Certain outdoor public amenities will also be opened

Phase Two (8 June)

  • Household visits will be allowed and plans will be in place to open up business with consideration for safety of staff and customers
  • Small retail outlets will open with social distancing observed
  • Open public libraries.

Phase Three (29 June)

  • Small social gatherings will be permitted and playgrounds will open, while creches, childminders and pre-schools will be available for children of essential workers in a phased manner
  • Those with low levels of interaction can return to work
  • Non-essential retail outlets with street level entrance and exit can open.

Phase Four (20 July)

  • Creches, childminders and pre-schools will be opened for children of all other workers on a gradually-increasing basis.
  • Those who cannot work from home will return to work
  • There will be a gradual easing of restrictions for higher-risk services like hairdressers
  • Opening of museums, galleries and places of worship.

Phase Five (10 August)

  • Larger social gatherings will be allowed and workers across all sectors can return to the workplace
  • On a phased basis, commencing at the beginning of the academic year 2020/2021, primary and secondary schools and third level institutions will reopen
  • At this point there will be further easing of restrictions on high-risk retail services.

Mr Varadkar stressed the need for caution as "the risk of a second phase of the virus is ever present".

"If we relax the restrictions too soon, we could see our ICU overcrowded," he said.

"Everything we achieved would be lost, so we must go on a short time more."

The plans were agreed by cabinet after medical experts on the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) provided advice to the government earlier on Friday.

The current lockdown period had been due to expire on Monday.

Mr Varadkar said the cabinet would meet on Saturday to agree further actions to help businesses restart.

Mr Varadkar said the last few weeks had transformed people's lives "in so many different ways and ways that we could not have imagined".

"I know it has been difficult - sometimes dispiriting," he said.

"The frustration of having our lives restricted. The uncertainty about when things will get back to normal. The fear of the virus itself."

He also spoke of the pain of the families unable to properly grieve for those who had lost their lives in recent weeks.

"When we come through this, we will come together as a nation and grieve together for everyone who has died over the course of this emergency," he said.

He said people had met the crisis with "remarkable courage and sense of solidarity".

Mr Varadkar urged the public to "stay the course" and "continue the fight".

On Friday, the Republic of Ireland recorded 34 more coronavirus-related deaths, taking its total to 1,265.

There were also 221 more cases diagnosed in the Republic, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 20,833.

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2020-05-02 02:54:51Z
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Coronavirus: US authorises use of anti-viral drug Remdesivir - BBC News

The US's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the emergency use of the Ebola drug remdesivir for treating the coronavirus.

The authorisation means the anti-viral drug can now be used on people who are hospitalised with severe Covid-19.

A recent clinical trial showed the drug helped shorten the recovery time for people who were seriously ill.

But emergency FDA authorisation is not the same as formal approval, which requires a higher level of review.

Experts have also warned the drug - which was originally developed to treat Ebola, and is produced by Gilead pharmaceutical company - shouldn't be seen as a "magic bullet" for coronavirus.

During a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Gilead Chief Executive Daniel O'Day said the FDA authorisation was an important first step. The company would donate 1.5 million vials of the drug, he said.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn also said at the meeting: "It's the first authorised therapy for Covid-19, so we're really proud to be part of it."

What do we know about remdesivir?

President Trump has been a vocal supporter of remdesivir as a potential treatment for the coronavirus.

In its clinical trial, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) found that remdesivir cut the duration of symptoms from 15 days down to 11. The trials involved 1,063 people at hospitals around the world. Some were given the drug and others were given a placebo (dummy) treatment.

Dr Anthony Fauci who runs NIAID, said that remdesivir had "a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery".

However, although remdesivir may aid recovery - and possibly stop people having to be treated in intensive care - the trials did not give any clear indication whether it can prevent deaths from coronavirus.

New York nursing home deaths

News of the potential treatment comes as a nursing home in New York reports 98 coronavirus-related deaths.

The Isabella Geriatric Center in Manhattan said 46 of its residents died after testing positive, while the other 52 were suspected to have had the virus.

And Dr Fauci has been barred from testifying next week to a congressional committee examining the Trump administration's response to the pandemic.

"While the Trump administration continues its whole-of-government response to Covid-19, including safely opening up America again and expediting vaccine development, it is counter-productive to have the very individuals involved in those efforts appearing at congressional hearings," White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

In other coronavirus news:

  • Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the country will begin to lift its lockdown on 18 May, "in a slow, phased way"
  • India has also extended its restrictions for two weeks past 4 May
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has defended its response to the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak in China, saying it "didn't waste time"

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2020-05-02 03:38:16Z
52780755087668

Coronavirus: Remdesivir given 'emergency approval' to treat COVID-19 in the US - Sky News

US regulators will allow experimental drug remdesivir to be used on seriously ill COVID-19 patients.

US President Donald Trump announced the news alongside Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who said the drug would be available for patients receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19.

A government-sponsored study has showed that remdesivir shortened recovery time by 31% - about four days on average - for patients in hospital with the virus.

The study of 1,063 patients is the largest of remdesivir, which belongs to Gilead Sciences.

It found that those given the drug were able to leave hospital in 11 days on average, compared with 15 days for the control group.

It is not yet clear whether remdesivir is preventing COVID-19 deaths but it is the first drug to show promise in fighting COVID-19, which has killed more than 235,000 people worldwide.

Remdesivir has been authorised by the Food and Drug Administration under its emergency powers.

More from Covid-19

Normally, "substantial evidence - usually in the form of more studies - would be required to prove the drug's safety and effectiveness.

But, due to the pandemic, the FDA only requires a drug maker to prove that the drug's potential benefits outweigh its risks.

It will still need full approval but the FDA can give this if Gilead Sciences or other researchers provide more evidence of remdesivir's safety and effectiveness.

The drug, which is given intravenously in hospital, has not been tested on people with the milder form of the virus.

Cathy Burgess, a lawyer specialising in FDA issues, said: "This is a very, very early stage so you wouldn't expect to have any sort of full approval at this point.

"But obviously they want to get this out to patients as quickly as possible."

The news comes as Mr Trump said he was hoping for fewer than 100,000 US deaths from the coronavirus, more than the 60,000 to 70,000 he had talked about on Monday.

Gilead
April: Gilead - drugs trials 'starting to show some results'

Gilead Sciences chief executive Daniel O'Day called the move an important first step and said the company was donating 1.5 million vials of the drug.

Late in March the FDA authorised malaria drug, hydroxychloroquine, for emergency use after Mr Trump repeatedly touted it as a cure.

But no studies have shown it to work and some have even shown significant safety concerns.

In April, the regulator warned doctors against prescribing it aside from in hospital or for research, due to the risk of those side effects.

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2020-05-02 00:46:20Z
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Coronavirus: The foster dad home-schooling 10 North Korean boys - BBC News

The coronavirus crisis means millions of parents around the world are grappling with the challenge of home-schooling. But one man in Seoul has a particularly tough task.

Kim Tae-hoon, 45, homes 10 North Korean boys who defected from the repressive state without their parents. The youngest is just 10 years old, the oldest 22.

Usually they would be at school, or university - in the case of 22-year-old Gun-seong - but last month South Korean students began online lessons instead.

On the first morning of remote schooling, Kim, talking to the BBC via video link, shepherds the boys to a large table on the second floor, where the wifi is at its strongest.

"I think you'd better put your earphones on because the sounds might get all mixed up during the morning assembly," he tells them.

As might be expected, there are teething problems. Grappling with unfamiliar online systems via tech devices rented from the local education office is one of them.

The log-ins of two of the boys who are in the same grade have been mixed up, and 15-year-old Geum-seong, who only defected from North Korean a year ago, understandably needs more help than the others. He's not used to submitting assignments online.

Meanwhile, Jun-seong, the youngest of the family, is scolded for watching YouTube on his tablet.

But just two days later, Kim says the boys have settled into their new routine under his watchful eye.

Eight of Kim's charges defected without adults, either alone or with siblings, and have no other family ties in the South. There are various reasons for just children leaving North Korea, including living only with grandparents too elderly to accompany them, or having parents who live apart and cannot organise for the whole family to make the difficult journey.

"They send their child to South Korea to find a better life. If the kids are too young, they even escape from the North on the broker's back," Kim explains.

According to the Ministry of Unification, there were 33,658 North Korean defectors in the South as of March 2020, of which around 15% were 19 years or under.

And as of 2017, the government reported it was aware of 96 children who had arrived in the South without their parents, according to media reports.

Kim never imagined that he would become the boys' carer.

Fifteen years ago he was working in publishing. He spent his spare time volunteering for Hanawon, a government-run resettlement facility in Seoul where all North Korean defectors live for three months, taking a course to prepare them for integration into society in the South.

He met a young boy called Ha-ryong, who had recently left the centre with his mother. She had managed to get a job but it was a long way from home and she had to leave her son home alone.

Ha-ryong, 10 years old at the time, asked Kim to be his babysitter, a role which he ended up taking on permanently.

Kim's parents completely disapproved and cut all ties with him for several years.

He went on to take in more North Korean children, one by one. The boy who has lived with him the longest of those still with him is Cheol-gwang. He arrived in the South on Christmas Eve 2012 aged just 11 years old. He and his sister had initially tried to escape with their mother but were caught by guards and detained. He was released alone, and his sister was freed three months later. But his mum never reappeared.

Eventually Cheol-gwang and his sister succeeded in escaping to the South alone.

As his family grew, Kim registered with the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare to form what is known as a "Group Home" - the smallest form of institution in the country which can offer children without parents or guardians an alternative family setting.

"But my kids think of it as a real home, not a facility," Kim says. And his parents have finally accepted his decision and are now his most ardent supporters, treating the boys as their adoptive grandsons.

Geum-seong admits that he was afraid of Kim at first.

"When I first saw him, I thought he was a bad guy. Because a man with a big belly in North Korea is usually a high-ranking official," he says shyly, his accent still very evidently North Korean.

Kim says the logistics are challenging, but he does all the chores himself.

"The hardest part is grocery shopping. As they are growing boys, they eat like horses. I load up my cart with huge amounts of food, but it's frustrating because it'll all be gone in just a day," he says.

The food is unpacked into six fridges. Two washing machines run non-stop every day. Kim needs to vacuum the house constantly.

But he says he doesn't ask the boys for help, arguing that the most important thing is that they are nurtured.

"I don't ask them for anything other than to grow up with decent manners… That's how I was raised by my parents."

It is so much work that Kim is unable to hold down a regular job, but he is eligible for some government benefits and corporate aid.

He says he doesn't feel comfortable taking financial help, however, and so recently he has opened a small cafe in an attempt to gain some economic independence.

But it is not just financial challenges that Kim and his foster family have to overcome.

There is considerable prejudice against North Korean defectors in the South.

Kim initially had to move house fairly regularly as a result of rising rent or the need for extra space as he took in more boys. He says whenever he did so there would be unwelcome attention.

"Whenever we moved, neighbours would somehow find out… Some even sent me a message to warn me that defectors should live discreetly."

On one occasion Kim's household was even visited by police. A fellow pupil of one of Kim's foster children had claimed his classmate was a spy for North Korea.

This was an extreme case, but nevertheless the boys are sometimes taunted, usually when they first join a new school, called names such as "war-causing bastard."

"When South Koreans hear that someone is from North Korea, they tend to look down on them, and some even show hostility. It's so sad because my kids are still teenagers. They shouldn't be viewed politically," Kim says.

In fact many young North Korean defectors drop out of mainstream schools as a result.

"I'm not saying alternative schools are bad. We just don't need it because I can fully support my children from home. I believe having [South Korean] friends and creating memories at regular schools will be a big asset to these children," he says.

Seven years ago, one of the boys, Jin-beom, decided to run for student president.

His teacher rang Kim to say he was worried the experience would prove traumatic for the boy. Kim said Jin-beom would be even more hurt if he knew his teacher had made the call. Despite this, he was voted in by the students.

Every year the family chooses a project to do together. Sometimes it is an art exhibition, sometimes a musical. Most recently it was a travel book showcasing photos the boys had taken of South Korean scenery.

"My boys said that they were curious about two things when they were in Hanawon before entering Korean society," says Kim.

"One was what [South] Korea looks like... and the other was what if South Koreans don't like me?" he said. "So we decided to document Korean scenery while travelling around."

The idea is to donate copies of the book to children in Hanawon to help them lose their fear of the unknown.

As for Kim's charges, they are excited about their futures in South Korea. Their ambitions currently include comic book writing, architecture and athletics. Ha-ryong, the little boy he first took in, has already left, and is in his final year of university where he is studying sociology.

But whatever happens in the future, Kim says his doors will always be open.

"We will still be a family," he says.

Read more on leaving North Korea: 'The prisoner who escaped with her guard'

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3RoZS1yZXBvcnRlcnMtNTI0NzQ4MDjSATVodHRwczovL3d3dy5iYmMuY28udWsvbmV3cy9hbXAvdGhlLXJlcG9ydGVycy01MjQ3NDgwOA?oc=5

2020-05-02 00:14:47Z
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