TV shows, YouTubers shed light on Daechi tiger mom's life

By Park Jin-hai

The "Daechi mom," a figure obsessed with her child's education, has become a cultural phenomenon in Korean media.

A 7-year-old preschooler effortlessly converses with native English speakers and aces math tests that stump even Seoul National University undergraduates. This extraordinary child is the product of a Daechi mom, described as a woman sporting a high-end down jacket and a coveted designer bag, who shuttles children between after-school academies in the posh Daechi-dong of Gangnam District in southern Seoul, known as the mecca of private academies called "hagwons."

Comedian Lee Su-ji parodies this Daechi mom on her YouTube channel Hot Issue Ji. Lee has turned the character into an overnight sensation, igniting a cultural firestorm.

Clad in the ubiquitous Moncler down jacket — the unofficial sartorial emblem of the district's status-driven mothers — she shuttles her 4-year-old son between after-school academies, munching on "gimbap" in her Porsche like a busy celebrity, calling her child by his English name and speaking in a soft, refined tone sprinkled with English words.

Her hyperrealistic humor has resonated deeply with people. The accumulated views for the mockumentary-style series, titled "Human Documentary: My Child is My Life," have topped 13 million in just one month since the first episode was released on Feb. 4.

Recently, a YouTube channel featuring videos centered around the character "Daechi papa," the husband of the Daechi mom, also went viral. The family-oriented father eats "kalguksu" (noodle soup) at a local shopping district, working odd hours and waiting to pick up his child from after-school academies. This portrayal of a typical Daechi papa has garnered nearly 800,000 views in just seven days.

Viewers left comments expressing empathy and encouragement. An instructor who used to teach at a Daechi-dong academy said, "The Daechi mom's car, speech, hair, clothes and appearance, even her eyes, are so similar that I'm laughing."

Meanwhile, a 20-year Daechi-dong resident and mother cheered for Lee, saying, "Expose and dismantle the hypocrisy, vanity and child abuse lurking among Daechi moms! Lee Su-ji, you're our only hope to rescue Korea from this epidemic of collective child abuse disguised as education! You're the absolute best!"

Around the same time, KBS broadcast an "In-Depth 60 Minutes" episode called "The 7-year-old state examination," causing a stir. This exam is what 5 and 6-year-olds, on the cusp of entering elementary school, take to gain admission into prestigious English language academies.

The program delved into the cutthroat competition among preschoolers vying for spots in these elite institutions. It featured a language academy in Daechi-dong that was teeming with parents and their children in the early hours of the weekend for the entrance exam.

The investigation highlighted the phenomenon of children taking private tutoring or attending supplementary academies to pass entrance exams, and addressed the mental anguish suffered by young children, reaching levels of what seemed like psychological abuse.

ENA's ongoing comedy show "Mother and Mom" depicts the life of three generations of women grappling with the pressures of elite education in Daechi-dong. Lee Jung-eun (Jun Hye-jin), a fiercely driven working mother, in order to secure her child's admission to prestigious elementary schools, resorts to extraordinary measures, including seeking guidance from a shaman and even feigning illness to acquire sought-after English educational materials.

Experts noted that Daechi-dong, the center of Korea's private education industry, is a symbolic place that reflects a Korean society wearied by excessive competition, stirring public curiosity and empathy.

"Daechi-dong is an open space, but it has barriers to entry, making it not easily accessible to just anyone. The fact that people can intimately peek into that place stimulates viewers' curiosity," said Yun Suk-jin, a culture critic and professor at Chungnam National University.

He further pointed out, "The public's interest is drawn by things like feeling sorry for children who are driven into the private education scene from a young age, and the anxieties about how to raise and educate children."

Cultural critic Jung Duk-hyun explains that the intense reaction to the Daechi mom character stems from a mix of emotions.

"While there are voices criticizing parents who educate their children in Daechi-dong, it's also true that parents simply want to provide the best possible education for their children. The widespread reaction is a result of a combination of envy toward the Daechi mom, a sense of despair from not being able to provide the same and an awareness of the problems within the Korean education system," Jung said.