'Child nearly dies from mosquito bite': comedian Lee Soo-ji’s kindergarten satire sequel draws explosive response
Lee Soo-ji / Captured from Lee's YouTube channel
Comedian Lee Soo-ji has once again sparked widespread reaction with a second YouTube video sharply satirizing the harsh realities faced by kindergarten and daycare teachers. Current and former childcare workers flooded the comments section, saying that "reality is even worse than the video," while criticizing unreasonable demands from some parents. The clip drew explosive engagement, surpassing 10,000 comments within a day of its release.
The video was uploaded on April 29 to Lee’s YouTube channel “Hot Issue Ji” under the title "A spring day of kindergarten teacher Lee Min-ji (feat. mosquitoes): Real extreme job documentary." The skit follows a fictional kindergarten teacher, Lee Min-ji, played by Lee Soo-ji, portraying a day in her life. It is a sequel released about three weeks after the first installment, "The never-ending 24 hours of kindergarten teacher Lee Min-ji: Real extreme job documentary," which was posted April 7 and went viral with 5.89 million views.
In the new episode, a child is bitten by a mosquito during an outdoor activity, prompting the teacher to call an ambulance. In another scene, she runs around with an electric mosquito swatter to prevent other children from being bitten. Lee shouts in urgency, "The child is itching to death from a mosquito bite." In the comments, one viewer asked, "Does this really happen?" Another replied, "It’s real. You may not believe it, but some parents want their children to avoid mosquito bites while also not wanting to take them out themselves, so they ask the kindergarten to arrange more field trips."
Lee Soo-ji / Captured from Lee's YouTube channel
The video also highlights other challenges faced by these teachers. They include cases where children infected with COVID-19 are sent to kindergarten without isolation, and requests from parents asking teachers not to reveal the outcomes of games like rock-paper-scissors "to protect the child’s emotions." One commenter, who said they were a daycare teacher with 23 years experience, wrote, "Some parents send their children to daycare even when they are sick, packing fever reducers with them. I once had to call an ambulance when a child showed signs of a febrile seizure, but a few days later the parent asked to see CCTV footage, saying they could not understand the situation."
Many commenters, believed to be kindergarten or daycare teachers, expressed anger over what they described as parental misconduct while also sharing their emotional distress. One wrote, "Watching this video brings me to tears. I don’t know why I feel so pitiful today." Others expressed gratitude toward Lee Soo-ji. "I’m thankful that these issues are being brought to the surface and that our efforts are being recognized," another commenter said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.