``I Will Turn the Treasured Plants over to the Koreans``

Min Byung-Gal (American name: Carl Miller. 81), who had worked as a translation officer in the U.S. Navy during the World War II, and has dedicated most of life his to develop the Chollipo Arboretum in Taean Peninsular, South Chungchung Province, is fighting against cancer.

The Chollipo Arboretum is a world class `treasured plants`, which began from 1979 at the beach-side site in Euihangri, Sowonmyun, Taeangun. It has been completely developed as an arboretum with 7,000 species on the 0.18 million pyung site. Mr. Min said yesterday, ``I will turn the arboretum, for which my whole life was dedicated, over to people of Korea, which is my country now.``

There are countless species including 400 Magnolia Kobuses, 370 Aquifoliaceaes, Poppies, Machilus Thuabergiis, Camellia Japonicas, and Viburaum Carlesiis. Mr. Min collected all of them from Korea’s mountains and fields. The arboretum, located in an ocean-side site, is not open to the public except to its registered members. To that extent, he loves that place more than his own flesh.

Mr. Min said, ``the reason why I liked Korea despite of its tough living condition was that I was a Korean in my previous life.`` After being discharged from the Navy, he came to Korea as a civilian to work for the U.S. military government. Afterward, he worked at the Bank of Korea from 1952 to 1982.

He began to learn about Chollipo when he visited there by chance in 1962. Later, he bought a 6,000 pyung land paying a giveaway price and began to transplant plants.

As his affection toward Korea deepened, he became a Korean citizen in 1979 with the name of Min Byung-Gal.

Since his diagnosis as a late-term rectum and lung cancer patient early this year, he has been on the anti-cancer therapies. His last wish is that many people would become supporters of the Chollipo Arboretum. Currently, there are about 470 registered supporters in the list. The Arboretum’s internet homepage is www.chollipo.org (041-672-9310).

Lee Ki-Jin doyoce@donga.com