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| Kim Ji-woo, a high school senior who has an 11-month-old daughter, appeared on MBN's new reality show, "High School Mom and Dad." Screenshot from MBN |
By Dong Sun-hwa
News that cable channel MBN would launch a new reality show featuring teenage parents stirred debate from the onset, with numerous people expressing concern over the program, as it touches on a taboo subject in Korea.
But MBN still chose to take the bull by the horns, airing the first episode of "High School Mom and Dad" (direct translation), Sunday. The show scored a 1.6-percent viewership nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea.
Defying most people's expectations, the program did not attempt to grab viewers' attention with provocative stories, but focused more on revealing the tough realities of young parents and where they can turn when they need a helping hand. It also delved deeper into the reasons that teenagers chose to give birth to babies, addressing the elephant in the room ― teenage pregnancy.
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| Scenes from MBN's "High School Mom and Dad" / Screenshots from MBN |
"I decided to make an appearance to change the public's negative perception of teenage parents," said Kim Ji-woo, a high school senior who has an 11-month-old daughter.
"I want to show my parents that I and my husband can make our living," said Park Seo-hyun, a 19-year-old who will soon give birth to her child.
Kim revealed that she gave birth to her baby with the help of a center that supports single moms. She said she ran away from home following conflicts with her mother ― who had put Kim in a mental hospital ― and met her boyfriend at her workplace. But his parents had "harsh words" for her when they found out Kim was pregnant.
"But I could not give up my baby," she added.
After hearing her full story through a reconstructed video, counselor Park commented, "People can carry on with their lives if there is one person who always stands next to them. But in the case of Kim, she had no one … She can perform her role as a mother properly only if there is sufficient emotional and financial support."
Sex educator Lee said that there were 918 teen mothers in Korea as of 2020, according to data by Statistics Korea. He added that, among teenagers who had experiences of sex, the average age of their first sexual intercourse was 13.6 in 2018.
"If we delve into these figures and listen carefully to the stories of young parents, we can better understand them and figure out ways to help them," Park said. "There is more support for teen parents these days, so they should keep abreast of the news, too."
Host Park Mi-sun emphasized that the goal of "High School Mom and Dad" is not to justify adolescent pregnancy.
"It aims to zoom in on the life of teenage parents, who are also part of our society," she said.
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