YangJu Baby Home
1963
YangJu Baby Home established
1963
Aeshin acquired the YangJu orphanage
1960's
Financial support from Camp Casey
1960's
Two new buildings with electricity, bathing area, hot water heater and water pump.
1963-1970
A total of 605 orphans lived at the YangJu Baby Home of which 537 were adopted
1970
52 orphans stayed at the YangJu Baby Home.
1970
President of the YangJu Orphanage Fund Council was LTC Ralph A. Koch.
Mid 1970's
Tom DeMay became an attorney in New York and facilitated several adoptions, 48 children were adopted to families on Long Island.
1975
Kwak Sun Yong and his wife emigrated to U.S.
1976-1979
Hong Keum Soon superintendent
1979-1981
Won Chon Ku superintendent
1981
The YangJu Baby Home closing
The history of the
orphanage 고아원
The history of the Yangju Baby Home is difficult to trace precisely, as several conflicting accounts exist, and the orphanage has been referred to by multiple names—such as YangJu Baby Home (양주 영아원), YangJu Children’s Home, YangJu Child Care Center, Ae-Shin Orphanage (애신 보육원), YangJu Reception Center, Yang Joo Reception Center, Yangchu and Hyeop-Yang Won (협양원)—further adding to the confusion.
However, records from the National Archives of Korea document that the YangJu Baby Home was established in April 1963 by YangJu County at Sang Yeon 6 RI 397, Dongducheon. Today: 1009 Samyuksa-ro in Dongducheon.
Soon after, financial difficulties led the Aeshin organization to take over the formal administration of the orphanage in October 1963.
Vital financial support came from the 7th Aviation Battalion at Camp Casey, which helped sustain the orphanage by collecting donations on each payday. Initially, this unit was the sole supporter of the orphanage, but it was soon joined by three other U.S. units that took an active interest in the children’s welfare: the 127th Signal Battalion, B Company ASA, and the 13th Engineer Battalion.
The financial support by the military camp was organized through the YangJu Orphanage Fund, overseen by a council composed of a representative from each supporting unit and the superintendent, Mr. Kwak. The council met regularly to discuss issues related to the orphanage and to allocate funds to priority projects.
These contributions made it possible to construct two new buildings during the 1960s, install electricity, build a bathing area, and add a hot water heater and water pump.
The orphanage cared for infants and young children up to seven years old from all over YangJu County. From 1963 to 1970, a total of 605 orphans lived at the Yangju Baby Home, and 537 children were adopted—both within Korea and to various Western countries. Sixteen children were transferred to other orphanages after turning seven, as they had not yet been adopted. By 1970, 52 children remained at the Yangju Baby Home.
Kwak Sun Yong (also spelled Kwak Seon Yong) was appointed early on as the orphanage’s director and served in this role until he and his wife emigrated to the U.S. around 1975.
In 1970, the president of the YangJu Orphanage Fund Council was LTC Ralph A. Koch. From the supporting units, the following members also served on the council: Lt. Tigdon Boykin, Mr. Jerry Stull, and custodian Lt. William Laughlin. In addition, Mr. Kwak Sun Yong and his son, Kwak Chon Wha, were also members of the council.
However, the YangJu Baby Home was formally one of Aeshin’s institutions, operated as a non-profit organization. Mr. Kwak and Ms. Hong Keum Soon served as co-directors, but the actual owners of Aeshin were members of the Won family.
The average monthly cost of running the orphanage was $500. One particular challenge for the YangJu Baby Home was that the children were too young to work. Unlike other orphanages in the area, which housed older children and had become partially self-supporting by teaching them trades or raising poultry, YangJu Baby Home lacked this opportunity. This added to the ongoing financial struggles the orphanage faced.
Daily life at the orphanage followed a very structured schedule: the children had designated times for play, naps, and study. During the 1970s, the YangJu Baby Home had the capacity to house up to 150 children, though it was never filled to capacity.
Usually, children were dropped off by family members — a painful decision for many parents. The orphanage served the entire surrounding area, and due to limited transportation options, it was unlikely that children were brought in from distant parts of Korea. Abandoned babies or children were typically left at the YangJu Baby Home by police, relatives, or others. A doorbell was eventually installed at the orphanage gate after a baby was left outside and tragically died from exposure.
In 1971, one of Mr. Kwak’s daughters, Kwak Kyong Soo—who also worked at the orphanage—married a U.S. officer, Tom DeMay, and emigrated to Long Island. Her husband, who later became an attorney in New York, facilitated several adoptions in the mid-1970s. As a result, 48 children from the YangJu Baby Home were adopted to families on Long Island.
One of the Korean children whose arrival Tom DeMay helped organize was two-year-old Jennifer Marshall, who arrived in 1975 and was received by her adoptive mother, Neela Marshall of Shoreham. She was one of ten Suffolk families who welcomed twelve Korean children at Kennedy Airport.
In December 1972, Gyeonggi-do Province designated YangJu Babyhome as a ‘temporary shelter,’ and it was connected to various social welfare organizations. In April 1976, YangJu Baby Home was renamed Hyeop-Yang-Won (협양원).
By the mid-1970s, the entire Kwak family had emigrated to the U.S. Kwak Sun Yong and his wife left Korea following the loss of their son in the U.S. around 1975.
The identities of the subsequent superintendents remain somewhat unclear, but it is likely that both Hong Keum Soon (approximately 1976–1979) and Won Chon Ku (approximately 1979–1981) held the position at different times.
It is assumed that the orphanage closed around 1981. The Aeshin orphanage, which cared for older children, is still operating today under the name Aeshin Children’s Welfare Center (애신아동복지센터), located at 30 Bangjuk-ro, Dongducheon.
Therefor, the YangJu Baby Home no longer exists, and the building was likely demolished in the 1980s or 1990s. As of 2025, a parking lot, a coffee shop, and a Baskin-Robbins now occupy the site where the orphanage once stood.
Aeshin orphanage
애신 보육원
The Aeshin Orphanage was established by the Won family, who had been involved in orphanage operations since 1948.
They moved to Dongducehon in 1953, where Won Hyeop Yang founded an orphanage at Sangyeon-ri 430.
In 1963, when the Yangju Baby Home faced financial difficulties, the Aeshin organization took over its operation.
Aeshin Market
Many older Koreans who experienced the Korean War remember the Aesin orphanage, located in the heart of the so-called “Yankee Market” in Dongducheon and also known as ‘Aesin Orphanage.’ The Yankee Market was sometimes nicknamed ‘Ae-sin Market’.
- Aeshin establish in 1948 with 52 children at (물치도)
Won Hyeop Yang established Aeshin at Sangyeon-ri 430, Dongducheon (Today: 30 Bangjuk-ro)
- Establishment of AeShin Children’s Home in june 1961
- Approved as Aeshin Orphanage Facility in 1963
- In January 1973, the foundation was restructured and renamed as a social welfare corporation.
- In 2006, the name was changed from Aeshin Orphanage to Aeshin Child Welfare Center.
- In 2023, the name was changed to Aeshin Children’s Welfare Center (애신아동복지센터)
Help us uncover Dongducehon's hidden history
Do you remember Dongducheon in the 1960s, 70s, or early 80s? Were you living there – or do you have stories passed down from family, neighbors, or friends? Maybe you’ve studied the city’s past or know someone who has?
We’re collecting local memories, photographs, and knowledge to better understand the history of the Yangju Baby Home and the lives of the many children who were adopted abroad.
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– Stories about orphanages
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– Old photos or memories
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on the city
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