Single Mothers Fight Prejudice in South Korea Slug: South Korea single mother Reporter: Jason Strother Date:

INTRO In many parts of the world, May is the month for mothers. But in South Korea, theres also a spe ial day for single mothers, unwed women who raise their hildren solo. Being a single mom is tough ! "ut in South Korea it "rings shame upon the entire family. Many hildren "orn out of wedlo # are #ept se ret and adopted o$erseas. But the adoptees are now returning home to find their "irth mothers and are wor#ing to ur" the pre%udi e single mothers still fa e. Jason Strother has the story from Seoul. &'(& ))Single*mother*sf+)sound of woman tal#ing with her hild))) Kim Jee,young and herr -,year,old son ha$e a new home. Shes happy theyre getting their li$es "a # on tra #. 'arlier this year, they were for ed to to li$e in a shelter after their losing apartment ! they had nowhere else to go. ))Single*Kim)Korean)female)) .Its $ery diffi ult in Korea for an unwed mother to li$e with her parents. &here is a tremendous pre%udi e toward single mothers and its an em"arrassment to the family. My parents would feel ashamed to ha$e us li$ing with them./ Kim Jee,young is not her real name. She as#ed me not to re$eal her identity. 0nwed motherhood is often #ept a se ret here. But on May 11, she an ele"rate "eing a single mom. ))Single*2eremony*S3()musi played at the eremony))) B'D 04D'R Its the se ond annual Single Mothers Day eremony in Seoul. Supporters of unmarried mothers gather to press the go$ernment for more assistan e and end dis rimination against women who gi$e "irth out of wedlo #. ))Single*2eremony*S3()musi played at the eremony))) '4D 5'R'

&hese moms are not only ostra i6ed from their familes, sometimes they e$en get fired from their %o"s. 7 ording to another single mom 2hoi 5yung,soo#, theyre treated li#e so ial out asts. 2hoi now heads an ad$o a y group for unmarried mothers and pro$ides shelters for them. She says for most pregnant single women, there are only two hoi es. ))Single*2hoi)Korean)female)) .&he only person in my family I told that I was pregnant was my "rother. I waited eight months. 5e told me that I should ha$e an a"ortion. 7nd if not that, then I should put the "a"y up for adoption. . 2hoi says that after she ga$e "irth, she did ta#e her son to an orphanage, "ut 8ui #ly hanged her mind. International adoption has long "een the last resort for pregnant single women who were told they were unfit to "e mothers. Domesti adoption is largely unpopular here. It started in the 19:;s, after the Korean <ar. Sin e then, at least 1:; thousand Korean "a"ies ha$e "een sent o$erseas ! mostly to the 0nited States. &oday, some of those adoptees ha$e returned as adults. =i#e Jane Jeong &ren#a, who was adopted in 19->, they ad$o ate for unwed South Korean mothers. ))Single*&ren#a)'nglish)3emale)) .Korea is so pre%udi ed against women ha$ing hildren out of wedlo #. Instead they are prioriti6ing their money in a way that fa$ors orphanages o$er "eing ared for "y your own mom./ ?o$ernment orphanages promote "oth domesti and international adoption. &ren#a is the president of &R72K, &ruth and Re on iliation for the 7dopted 2ommunity in Korea ! a group that opposes international adoption. She says many adopttees return to Korea here in the hope of finding their "irthmothers. @>,year,old 7manda =owell was a"le to tra # down her "iologi al moms sisters, her aunts, with the help of her old adoption agen y. She says they told her that it wasnt her unwed mothers hoi e to put her up for adoption. ))Single =owell)'nglish)3emale)) .&hey told me they #ept me for the first three months. My aunts #inda, sorta #idnapped me and "rought me to the adoption agen y without telling my "irthmother. 7 year after I was "rought to the adoption agen y, my "irthmother got married and has afamily now. I am $ery mu h a se ret./ =owells story is not un ommon among adoptees. But most ne$er get that far in tra ing their roots.

Shannon 5eit also tried to loo# for her Korean family, "ut to no a$ail. &he @;,year,old says ha$ing that missing lin# is one reason why she and other adoptees got in$ol$ed with Single Mothers Day. ))Single*5eit)'nglish)3emale)) .<e do imagine our own mothers, that if they had su h support from people li#e us, or from you #now politi ians or go$ernment, may"e it ould ha$e "een different for our own mothers./ 5eit says shes glad to see that these days more single mothers , li#e Kim Jee,young, are willing to #eep their hildren. ))Single*mother*sf+) an use some of this sound as "ed)) Kim says that for now, things loo# pretty good. She has a part time %o" and is also studying to "e ome a realtor. But she "egins to tear up when she tal#s a"out her sons future. ))Single*KimA)Korean)female)) .&hings are BK now for him, "ut I am %ust worried that as he gets older, his tea hers and the parents of his lassmates will find out that his mother is unmarried.../ Kim says she doesnt want her son to feel ashamed too. 3or 7sia 2alling, Im Jason Strother in Seoul.