Lee Ho-seon to donate funeral condolences to youth preparing for independence

Counseling expert Professor Lee Ho-seon announced on the 1st that she will donate all funeral condolences received following her mother's passing to young people preparing for independence. The donation aims to support youth transitioning from child welfare facilities or foster homes into society.

Counseling expert Professor Lee Ho-seon has announced that she will donate the funeral condolences provided by mourners to youth preparing for independence. Amid the grief of losing her mother, she has decided to carry on the spirit of sharing that the deceased practiced during her lifetime. The life of her mother, who cared for unknown neighbors with an invisible hand, will now be passed on to young people preparing for a new start alone.

On the 1st, Professor Lee posted on her social media to share news that the funeral had concluded. "Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to see my mother off well," she wrote, expressing gratitude to those who visited the funeral hall to offer condolences and various forms of assistance.

She also expressed a deep longing for her mother. "My mother's image remains on my face, her faith fills my soul, and her powerful life is firmly engraved in my memory," Lee wrote, adding, "Therefore, my mother and I are still connected." This signifies that despite their physical separation, the faith and attitude toward life left by her mother live on entirely within her.

She further vowed, "Since I resemble my mother, I will live with that passion." Rather than simply remaining in remembrance of the deceased, she expressed her intention to continue the way her mother lived and her values through her own life. Her mourning and respect for her mother were connected to her determination for how to live her future life, leaving a deep impression in her writing.

In particular, Professor Lee revealed her plan to donate the funeral condolences sent by mourners to youth preparing for independence. "Just as my mother looked after unknown lives with an invisible hand, the condolences you have passed on will now be donated to youth preparing for independence who are walking into a new world," she stated. She added, "The hearts sent in front of my mother's life will be passed on to those young people."

Youth preparing for independence refers to young people who have been under the protection of child welfare facilities or foster homes and must take their first steps into society alone after their protection ends at a certain age. They often require help in various aspects for independence, including economic foundations, housing, career paths, and emotional support. Professor Lee's choice of these youths as the recipients of the donation is interpreted as an intention to pass on the values of care and sharing shown by her mother during her lifetime to the next generation in need of social support.

Professor Lee Ho-seon has become known to the public through her work as a counseling expert, appearing on programs such as tvN STORY's 'Lee Ho-seon's Counseling Center' and JTBC's 'Divorce Camp.' Having provided practical advice by counseling various conflicts including family and marital relationships, she has now shown a way to connect personal loss to sharing.

Professor Lee, who said her mother's face, faith, and passion for life remain within her, has chosen to turn the comfort and mourning expressed by mourners toward the deceased into warmth that supports the lives of others. Her final greeting to her mother is being transformed into support for young people standing at a new starting line.

Read the original (Korean)