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A man from Busan on Sunday went public with a claim that he is the father of U.S. freestyle skier Toby Dawson, who took bronze in the men's mogul competition at the Turin Winter Olympics. Kim Jae-su (52) said he got calls from relatives and friends who told him Dawson looked just like him. ¡°So I looked at the papers and confirmed it myself," Kim said. "There is no doubt that this is the son I lost 25 years ago."
Kim lost his son in 1981, when the boy became separated from his mother in the crowd at a local market. Dawson was found near the same place and taken to an orphanage, where he lived until he was adopted by an American couple.
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From left, Dawson, Kim Jae-su, and Kim¡¯s second son, Hyun-cheol who was born after Dawson's disappearance.
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The Kims say they searched high and low for their lost son. "I didn't think reporting it to the police would be of any help, so I went around looking for him myself," Kim said. The couple covered most orphanages and markets in the city but could only search on their days off and got around on foot or by bus, so their progress was slow.
Kim says the loss of their child was the cause of bitter fights between the parents and eventually led to their divorce. ¡°The missing person¡¯s report was never adequately filed, so seven or eight years ago we got his summons to present himself for physical examination for military duty." Now Kim says he can barely sleep in anticipation of seeing his first son again soon. He says he is willing to submit to a DNA test to confirm his paternity.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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