In the Korean drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines” (폭싹 속았수다), there’s a bitter line:
"The day I lost my class president position to the son of an army general, because effort alone wasn’t enough."
The character Aesoon had won the vote with 37 ballots, but a friend’s father handed out cream buns that swayed the result. The phrase "effort alone wasn’t enough" captures the harsh truth that no matter how hard one tries, unseen forces can still tip the scale unfairly.

In courtrooms, many families carry their own version of this "cream bun incident." While working with the Korean Women Lawyers Association to support young adults transitioning out of state care, I’ve seen this reality up close. These young people, known as “care leavers,” must begin life independently at 18 after growing up in foster care or children’s homes. Although there are government and private support systems in place, they often fall short. With no parents to provide emotional or financial backing, care leavers are left to fend for themselves. Daily survival outweighs college dreams, and the burden of high housing and education costs only deepens the struggle. Many become isolated, without proper support or meaningful relationships. One young person said tearfully, “You’re the first person who has really listened to me.” That sentence has stayed with me ever since.

I also often encounter heartbreaking stories during consultations on child support. Seven out of ten single-parent households do not receive proper child support. While it is a legal obligation for parents to support their children, enforcement is weak, and many families are left to struggle alone. One mother told me, “After the divorce, I hid out of fear of domestic violence. I try my best, but I can’t give my children what they need.” Others say, “He put everything under someone else’s name to avoid paying,” or “He promised to be a good father, but now he doesn’t even call.” These situations leave deep emotional wounds for the children.

Even in an age of low birthrates, raising children remains a difficult journey. But this journey should not be a burden—it should be one of love and hope. For that to happen, we need both social understanding and legal protection. Family is the most reliable support system through life’s hardships, and the law must be a warm safety net that protects its value. We must ensure that families are seen, heard, and supported—through both material assistance and emotional care.

Like the warm sunshine of May, I hope the law shines equally and gently on every family. I wish for care leavers to dream of their future under the protection of solid legal support, and for children in single-parent families to grow up healthy and happy under society’s attention and care. Just like the heartfelt message in “The Fool at the End of the World,” may we create a legal system that offers both financial support and emotional care—true protection in every sense of the word.

URL: '폭싹 속았수다'의 마음