TV
Park Ji-hyun was threatened with a hidden camera
MBN's 'High School Dad that Adults Don't Know About (hereinafter referred to as High School Dad)', which aired on the 21st, was the first special episode of the 100th episode and focused on youth crime to save youth from crisis. In particular, through the shocking stories of two high school mothers who suffered financial fraud and sexual exploitation, we looked into ways to prevent this, socially necessary safety measures, and legal counseling. A panel of experts, including attorney Lee In-cheol, psychological counselor Jo Young-eun, and former detective chief Park Mi-ok, shared in-depth opinions.
First, '19-year-old high school mom' Ahn So-jeong (pseudonym) appeared with her face covered and revealed her story through a reenactment drama. Ahn So-jeong dropped out of school and worked part-time to help support her family's financial situation on behalf of her mother, who became an alcoholic after being scammed by a voice phishing scam when she was young. Meanwhile, while having drinks with my part-time colleague, my older brother, I fell asleep with no memory. As the situation became more difficult as her house was foreclosed, Ahn So-jung suddenly started dating and living together with her co-worker's brother. Meanwhile, Ahn So-jung confessed, "My boyfriend told me I could get expensive game items for free, so I verified my identity with my cell phone, but I was scammed into a small payment that cost 3 million won in an instant. Around the same time, I found out I was pregnant." This shocked the studio cast.
The boyfriend wasted all the monthly rent and deposit that Ahn So-jung had sent him, and ended up on the street. In the end, Ahn So-jeong said, "I fell for my boyfriend's suggestion, 'Let's take a loan in my mother's name to cover living expenses,' and took out my cell phone, ID, and bankbook without my mother's knowledge and took out an illegal loan." However, just as she was about to give birth, her boyfriend, who had been making money, was arrested by the police for using voice phishing to collect cash. Ahn So-jeong, who gave birth to a child alone, took out a loan at high interest rates to buy a house to live in, and the interest increased like a snowball, and she is currently struggling with debt. Ahn So-jeong said, “I just want to give up everything because the situation is so miserable that the interest alone is over 1 million won a month.”
Next, the story of Park Ji-hyun (pseudonym), who became a mother at the age of 18, was introduced. Park Ji-hyun, who had been running away from home since she was in the 6th grade of elementary school due to family discord, was looking for a place to live as there were no spaces available at a youth shelter, and learned about the existence of a helper who helps runaway teenagers with their lives. Ji-hyun Park was looking for a helper through SNS and went to the house of a helper whose SNS profile said she was an academy instructor, thinking it was safe, but a few days later she was sexually assaulted. Ji-Hyun Park, who was even imprisoned, thought about it and instead of reporting it to the police, she contacted an open chat room for runaway teenagers and asked for help. Afterwards, runaway families came to visit her and she escaped from the helper's house, but Ji-Hyun Park ended up selling prostitution because the runaway families forced her to meet under conditions, telling her to "pay for food." In addition, a runaway family extorted tens of millions of won by threatening a man with whom she met on conditional terms by showing him a hidden camera video.
Park Ji-hyun became pregnant, but she was shocked when she revealed, "The runaway fam members said, 'There will be no more pregnancies in the future,' and made her continue to engage in prostitution until her belly came out." Park Ji-hyun, who was sexually exploited by them and missed the abortion surgery, returned home full-term, but was also shunned by her parents. With nowhere else to go, Park Ji-hyun visited a single mothers' center and gave birth to her daughter. However, the runaway family was contacted again, and they threatened Park Ji-hyun with a hidden camera video they had at the time of the conditional meeting. While the cast lamented, "I can't escape the shackles of hell," Park Ji-hyun sobbed, saying, "I'm afraid that if I turn myself in and go to a juvenile detention center, my child will end up wandering the streets."
After Park Mi-sun's testimony that "there were quite a few contacts from teenagers who had suffered sex-related harm, such as actual sex crimes and prostitution," attorney Lee In-cheol said, "In the case of the high school mother in the story, when she transitioned from victim to accomplice, and from accomplice to perpetrator, she should have surrendered and received a reduced sentence. “I did it,” he said. In response to lawyer Lee In-cheol's explanation that "You have to surrender quickly when you have the opportunity to have a chance of receiving leniency," psychological counselor Jo Young-eun said, "If you are a viewer of the broadcast and are in a similar situation, please contact the helpline at 110 or 1388 to get help." added.
Captain Park Mi-ok explained, "Juvenile crimes sometimes lead to violent crimes after becoming adults. Runaway families are also at the base of the valley murders, which became a social issue. It was a case that spread from psychological weakness to a disregard for life." He then asked, “It is important for teenagers to overcome poor environments and live well on their own, but on the other hand, are we (society) ready to accept juvenile delinquents?” Captain Park Mi-ok said, “I hope this broadcast will be the first step in bringing youth crime, which is socially marginalized, to the surface.”
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia Reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
