Debate surfaces over single mom by choice Sayuri's appearance on childcare-themed TV program
Television personality Sayuri, who became a single mother by choice, appears in “The Return of Superman,” a childcare-themed TV program on KBS, the broadcaster announced last week. Screenshot from KBS
By Jung Da-min
After a local TV program announced last week that television personality Sayuri, who became an unwed mother by choice, would join the program, controversies have risen over the appropriateness of her appearance on the childcare-themed TV program.
Debates have especially been fueled after someone petitioned the Cheong Wa Dae website asking the government to ban her appearance on the program entitled, “The Return of Superman,” saying that the public broadcaster KBS should not bring a single mother by choice onto the program because it could encourage an “abnormal” concept of family.
Sayuri, the Korea-based Japanese entertainer gave birth to a son last November through artificial insemination with donor sperm.
Her decision to have a child outside of marriage has since stirred debate over women's right to choose to be a single mother in Korea, as the country's fertility policy does not include specific ways to support women who make such decisions.
The petitioner said that in Korea, where young people are avoiding marriage amid the high unemployment rate and other hardships, it is the public broadcaster's role to portray a “proper” concept of family, to encourage marriage and “normal” childbirth.
“But the program plans to show an unwed mother, giving the impression that the abnormal method of childbirth outside of marriage is normal. This is unacceptable,” the petitioner wrote.
The petition, however, has faced a strong backlash by many people who say that there is no such things as the concept of a “normal family,” as the forms and types of families vary case by case.
Columnist Wi Geun-woo said that the petition showed the fact that there is still severe social discrimination and hate against social minorities, including women and single mothers.
“The petition is inappropriate as it is not just an expression of individual opinion, but an expression of hate that should be pointed out. Cheong Wa Dae needs to take responsibility for letting such petitions posted on its website get publicly shared by those who are sympathetic with such discriminatory ideas,” Wi said on Instagram, Monday.
Many young people also expressed their objections to the petitioner's claims, saying that forms of family have diversified and individuals' choices should be respected in a diverse society.
“Sayuri's decision to be a single mother should be respected as the choice of an individual, and her appearance on the KBS program should not be an issue,” said An Young-dae, 30, who lives in Seoul.
“Her appearance actually seems to benefit the public, as the program can show conflicts or problems in situations where one individual must play the parental role that is usually shared by both a mother and a father. Such situations can also occur in other single parent families.”
Lee Ji-su, a 25-year-old woman living in Daejeon, said she believes she should be able to choose to give birth regardless of the type of family she would have. She also said that the country's low birthrate problem can be solved when more diversity in the concept of family is tolerated in society via institutional supports.
“There are many different types of families, including unwed mothers and unwed fathers, adopted families or remarried families. If you live together with a same-sex friend and two cats, that should also be recognized as a family,” Lee said.
Another 25-year-old woman Choi, who is living in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, said she finds no good reason why society should not encourage unwed women's choices to become single mothers. She urged society to change the current system to give institutional support for diverse types of families.
Kim Young-ji, 31, said that she opposes any attempts to stop Sayuri from speaking out as a single mother by choice, as she believes that these attempts aim to control women's choices and rights to make decisions about their own bodies.