"I Will Bloom Brightly with Dad" A Letter from the Hero's Daughter Moved 10 Million People

Kim Haebom (19, five years old at the time), the youngest daughter of the late Sergeant Kim Taeseok, who died during the Cheonan ship sinking, conveyed her longing for her father through a letter that reached 10 million citizens.

At the 9th West Sea Defense Day Commemoration Ceremony, Kim Haebom, the child of the late Sergeant Kim Taeseok, who was attacked on the Cheonan ship, is reading a 'Letter to Dad.' [Image source=Yonhap News]

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The video of Kim reading the letter was posted as a Reels video on the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ Instagram and has recorded 9.98 million views. It is expected to surpass 10 million views soon, becoming the first government agency SNS video to do so. It is unprecedented for a video produced by a government ministry to reach 10 million views. Considering that the Patriots and Veterans Affairs Instagram account has about 35,000 followers, the nearly 10 million views on Kim’s video are even more remarkable. The video shows Kim reading the letter she wrote to her father at the ‘9th West Sea Defense Day’ event held on the 22nd of last month at the Navy’s 2nd Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Kim confessed, “Dad, it’s already spring. I graduated from high school and became a college student. At my high school graduation ceremony in February this year, when I saw my friends taking pictures with their dads, I thought of you.” She continued, “Thank you, Dad. Thank you for letting me be proud of you and be remembered as someone who respects you. I will bloom brightly with you in this warm spring, so please watch over me. On a day when many flowers bloom, I will surely visit you like the news, shining like your spring sunshine.” She also wrote, “I’m doing well and will continue to do well, so please don’t worry too much. Always watch over me and cheer me on. I want you to know that you are a very great strength to me. I love you, Dad.”

After the event, President Yoon met Kim and said, “Your father had such beautiful daughters. I will always support you.” The video also captured President Yoon wiping tears with a handkerchief while listening to the letter reading.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is wiping away tears while listening to Kim Haebom, the child of the late Sergeant Kim Taeseok, who was struck in the Cheonan incident, read a "Letter to Dad" at the 9th West Sea Defense Day Commemoration Ceremony. Photo by the Presidential Office. Image courtesy of Yonhap News.

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Sergeant Kim died in 2010 during a North Korean torpedo attack, leaving behind three daughters. The eldest daughter, Kim Haena (22), followed her father’s footsteps and enrolled in the Department of Military Security Studies to become a naval officer.

West Sea Defense Day has been held since 2016 to honor the 55 fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending against North Korean provocations in the West Sea, including the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong in 2002, the Cheonan ship sinking in 2010, and the Yeonpyeong Island shelling. This year’s commemorative ceremony was held at the Navy’s 2nd Fleet, where the latest frigate Cheonan (FFG-826), revived after 13 years at the end of last year, was deployed.

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