The Lee Tae-seok Foundation helped with the Ukrainian version of ‘Schindler’s List’ – Maeil Business

There is a foreigner who escaped from Ukrainian children for a year through a battlefield bombarded with bullets and shells. This man, who reminds someone of Schindler, a German businessman who helped Jews escape the Nazi oppression, is Armen Melikian (44), an American businessman. During the year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Melikian rescued more than 200 children in a 9-seater van. Surprisingly, none other than the Koreans had been his strong support.

The first place to lend a helping hand to Melikian was the Lee Tae-seok Foundation, a domestic non-profit organization famous for ‘Don’t Cry Tones’. The Lee Tae-seok Foundation started the ‘Urgent Relief Campaign for Children in Ukraine’ on March 3 last year, right after the start of the war, and has been supporting Melikian. Koo Soo-hwan, chairman of the Lee Tae-seok Foundation, heard about Melikian’s story through a Korean acquaintance who had a close relationship with him, and has continued to support him.

Chairman Koo, whom Maeil Business News met recently, said he reached out to help after seeing the ‘spirit of Lee Tae-seok’ from Melikian. Melikian, who rescues children from battlefields in other countries, and Father Lee Tae-seok, who helped children by establishing a hospital and school in South Sudan during the civil war, are said to have overlapped in his each other

Thanks to that, only 54 million won has been raised from all over the country so far. Director Koo explained, “The 9-seater van Melikian takes to save children, as well as the body armor and bulletproof helmet he wears, were all bought with donations from Koreans .” He continued, “The donations collected by the affection of the Koreans became food for refugees from Ukraine and a temporary tent for those who lost their homes.” doing it,” he said.

Melikian still continues the rescue operation, risking his life, wearing body armor provided by the Koreans. A Korean acquaintance said that earlier this month, Melikian called and said, “I was looking for a house where the child was left alone and found the body of the child’s mother in front of the house.

Not too long ago, while walking on the battlefield, he was wounded when a bullet grazed his eye. In the photo sent to the Lee Tae-seok Foundation, he was bleeding with the edge of his eyebrow torn.

Director Koo recalled, “I had a phone call with him on Christmas last year, and carols were flowing from the street, but air raid sirens sounded loudly over the phone.”

As the war continues, the Lee Tae-seok Foundation and Mr. Melikian now plan to hold sponsorship activities to care for the hearts of refugees. This is because Melikian, who is on the battlefield, and Chairman Koo, who worked as a war correspondent in Iraq and elsewhere for five years, both agree that what is desperately needed refugees are ‘hope’. Director Koo said, “For people suffering from war, what is important is comfort and hope in everyday life that there are people in unity.” he said.

[김정석 기자]