Cho Myung-hwan reflects on journey of hardship, perseverance and paying it forward
For much of his career, Cho Myung-hwan, president of international humanitarian NGO World Vision Korea, stayed quiet about two facts from his early life: that he was once a sponsored child, and that he struggled in school.
An emeritus professor at Konkuk University and a long-respected authority in HIV/AIDS research, Cho first shared both publicly at age 60, during a lecture attended by some 3,000 people.
“I wanted to tell how someone without exceptional talent could work hard, earn a Ph.D., and help others,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.
Now leading one of the world’s largest aid organizations, Cho sees his life as living proof that even a small act of kindness — a modest donation or a few words of encouragement — can change the course of a child’s future.
“Sponsorship brings happiness to both the giver and the receiver,” he said. “It can change one child’s life and in turn, the world. I’m living proof.”
Cho’s is not a story of innate brilliance or rare opportunity, but of the quiet, powerful transformation that can happen when a child is told they matter. He was fortunate to have someone who did exactly that: Edna, his American sponsor, whom he affectionately calls his “other mother.”
From infancy, she sent powdered milk, toys, letters, and $15 a month. But more than anything, it was her unwavering encouragement that shaped his path. Even after the sponsorship officially ended at age 18, she continued writing and donating until her passing in 2001.
“She always asked in her letters what my dream was. When I replied that I wanted to be a firefighter, or a baseball player, when I was into baseball, she would write back, ‘You’ll be the best firefighter, the best baseball player in the world.'”
Cho grew up in poverty, with his father having fled south during the Korean War. “I still remember how I envied classmates for the sausage in their lunchboxes.”
Though poverty often made hope feel like a luxury, Edna’s support gave him something else. “She let me grow without shame,” he said. “She helped me believe that I have future.”
Still, Cho said, he was an unremarkable student throughout school. When it came time to apply for university, a friend of his father who was then a professor at Konkuk University suggested he consider microbial engineering, a department that sometimes had unfilled seats.
“He told me biotechnology would shape the future,” despite it being an unpopular major at that time, Cho recalled.
Cho said his journey to becoming a professor was, again, driven by sheer persistence. After completing his undergraduate studies at Konkuk University in Seoul, he went to the United States for graduate school, only to struggle with poor grades and eventually be expelled. It was an extremely difficult period, and having nowhere to go, he even studied on park benches, he recalled.
Then, a professor introduced him to Charles Sterling at the University of Arizona, who accepted him into a Ph.D. program in HIV/AIDS research. Cho earned his doctorate and returned to Korea, later joining the faculty at his alma mater, Konkuk University.
Calling himself the “last-place Ph.D.,” he said that he just never gave up.
At 49, Cho paused his academic career to study public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “I realized science alone wasn’t enough,” he said. “To help more people, you need policy, you need business.”
Over the years, he served twice as president of the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific and worked on global health and development projects.
Founded in 1950 during the Korean War to support war orphans and widows by Korean pastor Han Kyung-jik and American journalist-pastor Bob Pierce, World Vision has grown into the world’s largest international NGO, operating in about 100 countries. With an annual budget of approximately 4.2 trillion won ($3.09 billion), it has helped more than 200 million children over 75 years.
Over the years, South Korea has also undergone transformation, from one of the world’s poorest countries to now the 12th-largest economy and from aid recipient to “donor nation.”
“Now is the time to show the world a warmer, more compassionate Korea. World Vision aims to be part of that journey,” Cho said.
World Vision Korea recently expanded its focus to address the growing impact of climate change on vulnerable children. “Climate change affects everyone, but for children in fragile regions, it’s a matter of survival,” said Cho. “While wealthier communities can adapt, children in poor areas suffer first and worst.”
One example is the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration initiative to restore forests in Ethiopia. The project reforests degraded land, improves ecosystems, and helps communities build climate resilience — while offering carbon offset opportunities for global partners.
The organization is also embracing new approaches to fundraising. On June 1, World Vision became the first NGO in Korea to accept cryptocurrency donations, partnering with Dunamu, the operator of the digital asset exchange Upbit. The group received 0.55 ether ($1,430) from a donor and sold it. Earlier this year, it received over 5 bitcoin and nearly 1 ether through the platform — equivalent to roughly 670 million won. Upbit matched up to 300 million won in donations.
Looking ahead, the organization plans to experiment with fractionalizing artworks into NFTs, enabling donors to support causes by purchasing small digital shares.
Cho believes every life is precious and that no one is born without a purpose.
“There was a time I felt useless,” he said. “Poverty made me think I had no role in this world. But Edna’s support helped me dream — and that brought me to where I am today.”
Now at World Vision, Cho sees his work as a way to finally give back the love and support he received from Edna and extend it to as many children as possible. “Even helping just one more child live a better life, it matters.”
“Sponsorship can help children live with joy and hope. I know, because I was one of them,” he said.
As the organization marks its 75th anniversary, Cho said the ultimate goal remains simple, yet bold: To create a world where organizations like World Vision are no longer needed.
“Our vision,” he said, “is sponsorship that ends sponsorship.”
