On the 13th, a woman in her 20s appeared on KBS Joy's "Ask Anything" who shared a story about her biological parents contacting her for the first time in 20 years due to government subsidies. Photo by KBS Joy "Ask Anything" broadcast capture
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Broadcasters Seo Jang-hoon and Lee Soo-geun comforted a client who was hurt by parents searching for her after 20 years.
On the 13th, a 20-year-old woman appeared on KBS Joy's "Ask Anything" who shared a story about her biological parents contacting her for the first time in 20 years due to disaster relief funds.
On the broadcast, the client said, "When I was 5 years old, my biological parents left me at the house where I currently live. But now, the parents who raised me are telling me to leave the house. Since I am not registered under either side on the family register, I receive basic livelihood security benefits as a single-person household."
She continued, "I receive about 700,000 to 800,000 won per month, but recently with the disaster relief funds, I got about 2 million won. Upon hearing this, my biological parents said, 'Send it to us,' she said.
In response, Lee Soo-geun said, "That's nonsense. They had no contact and suddenly say they left you with someone. You don't even know their faces or anything. Did you ask about your biological parents?"
The client explained, "I asked who my biological parents are and what they do, but they wouldn't tell me. They only said they are acquaintances."
She added, "At first, I didn't know if the parents were the ones raising me. As I grew up, I noticed they treated my older siblings well but not me. I grew up being cautious. In high school, they said, 'If that's the case, we shouldn't have brought you here,' she said.
She then said, "It was only then that I realized my biological parents existed separately."
After hearing the story, Lee Soo-geun and Seo Jang-hoon said, "We're only hearing the client's side, so the other side might be different, so we have to be careful, but it makes us very angry. You don't need to worry. You are an adult. Since you receive basic livelihood benefits, it seems right to earn part-time money and become independent."
Seo Jang-hoon then asked, "How about living with a friend and paying part of your benefits as rent? Do you have such a friend?"
The client said, "I have friends, but I feel like I'm being a burden at their house. I'll think about it."
Finally, the client added, "I'll work harder at my part-time job to either get a cheap studio apartment on my own or find a friend's place."
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