hankyoreh

41-year-old TV celebrity Heo Su-gyeong announced to local broadcaster SBS television on July 26 that she had become a single mother through artificial insemination. After her second divorce in July of last year, she tried to conceive via artificial insemination and now has a five-month-old baby conceived via in vitro fertilization. Heo’s story drew attention because in Korean society it is very rare for single women, whether divorced or unmarried, to have children on their own without facing a severe social stigma. Heo’s revelation marks the first time a celebrity has made this kind of story public.

On the SBS TV talk show, “Good Morning with Kim Seung-hyun and Jeong Eun-ah,” Heo talked frankly about her desire to become a mother, just a month after her divorce. “My married life was pretty difficult because I didn’t have a baby,” Heo said. “One day, I realized that I might not have any reason to be unhappy, because I could do everything on my own, without a husband. Then, my mother talked with me about child-rearing.”

Lee Eun-ji, the director of talk show, said, “Two months ago, Heo expressed her willingness to appear on the program. She had wished to announce openly that she would become a single mother,” Lee said.

Experts say that Heo’s case indicates a change in this predominantly male-oriented society.

Lee Yeo-bong, a professor of family sociology at Gangnam University, said, “It shows that our family system is changing, as the traditional concept of family is changing. Progressive women may now want to have children without being married. We should be open to accepting this evolving social trend.”

A recent TV drama, “Bad Couple,” was also in the spotlight because it featured a single woman trying to have a baby without getting married.

Audiences were split over Heo’s story. Viewer Lee Won-ok wrote in the talk show’s online bulletin board, “It’s good to see how happy she looks. She can care for the baby on her own, without the father.”

However, viewer Lee Gyeong-hwa said, “I was somewhat worried about how the child would get through life,” citing social prejudice and the lack of welfare policies for single mothers and their children.

Heo said she had also been extremely worried about these issues, before deciding to have a child via artificial insemination. “Before I got pregnant, I had always questioned myself about my decision to have a child on my own. I wanted to hear things from my baby’s perspective so much that I started to ask myself what my baby would say about what I wanted to do.”

Heo began her career as a TV show host in 1989 and has worked as an SBS radio host for eight years.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]