Kyobo Life helps 466 hearing-impaired children find their voice — and their future

Kyobo Life is going beyond medical support for low-income children with hearing impairments, now helping them navigate career paths and integrate into society as teenagers.

The insurer said Tuesday it has supported 466 low-income hearing-impaired children in South Korea and abroad through its "Wow Dasoomi Soribbit" project from 2019 through the end of September this year, providing cochlear implant surgery, speech rehabilitation therapy and hearing aids. The program expanded to include children in Vietnam in 2024.

The project was designed to ensure that low-income children with congenital hearing loss do not miss the critical window for treatment. Congenital hearing loss affects roughly one in every 1,000 newborns with severe or profound impairment, and research shows that cochlear implant surgery performed before nine months of age supports language development. The program covers surgery costs as well as one year of post-operative speech rehabilitation therapy to ease the financial burden on families and prevent treatment from being interrupted.

The children who have received support are showing real progress. A seven-year-old girl identified only by the surname Choi, who was born deaf in both ears, responded to her mother's voice for the first time after receiving bilateral cochlear implant surgery and speech rehabilitation therapy. Her parents said they were "simply grateful that our child can communicate with the world," calling it "a miracle that changed her life."

Another seven-year-old girl, identified only by the surname Kim, was born prematurely at 35 weeks and underwent bilateral cochlear implant surgery, followed by speech rehabilitation therapy three times a week. She has since grown into a child who enjoys singing along to K-pop and dancing. Her parents said, "Every time we hear her singing and laughing, we feel nothing but gratitude — an ordinary daily life has been a miracle for our family."

Kyobo Life has also begun supporting beneficiaries into adolescence. In March, the company launched a career mentoring program for hearing-impaired teenagers in partnership with the Korea Cochlear Implant and Hearing Loss Association. The program helps teenagers who use hearing aids or cochlear implants explore career options and build confidence through mentoring sessions, job-experience activities and camps.

At the wrap-up showcase event held Saturday, participants shared their experiences from seven months of activities. One teenager who took part in automotive and aviation industry experiences said the program gave them "the confidence to broaden my career horizons into the aviation field, thanks to advice from my mentor."

Kyobo Life also runs a family camp for hearing-impaired children and their families, as well as a year-end event called "Dasoomi Soribbit Santa." A company official said Kyobo Life would "continue providing sustained support so that children and teenagers can grow into healthy members of society."