THE WORK OF HIS HANDS

David Kwan-Yong Kang survived an astonishingly difficult childhood. Orphaned at two years old after his father was killed during the opening salvos of the Korean War in 1950, he lived on the streets of Seoul with other abandoned youths.

He eventually found his way to The Salvation Army’s local orphanage, and went on to serve in the South Korean military. There he discovered a passion for tailoring, and in his twenties he immigrated to Toronto, Canada, to sew uniforms for The Salvation Army.

That was nearly fifty years ago.

Since then, while running his own successful tailoring company, he’s sewn thousands of bespoke Salvation Army uniforms, including those of the last 14 Generals (the international leader of The Salvation Army).

This is the remarkable story of the man behind the uniform: David Kwan-Yong Kang.

Produced in partnership with The Salvation Army's Canada and Bermuda Territory.

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