Cultural Clashes and Personal Struggles: Korean-French Couple's Journey to Marriage

A Korean man and a French woman are drawing attention as they express their differing values ahead of their marriage.

On the October 29th episode of MBC's 'Oh Eun-young Report - Marriage Hell,' the story of a couple uncertain about their happy married life, dubbed the 'Pre-announcement Couple,' was featured.

The couple, a 30-year-old Korean man and a 22-year-old French woman, appeared on the show as they prepared for their wedding. Notably, the woman demonstrated impressive Korean language skills, stating, "I majored in Korean studies," and added, "I met my husband through an app, and it wasn't a particularly special meeting."

The man shared, "While chatting with her, I found our conversations flowed well. Initially, I met her with a light heart, just to see how it would go." The couple revealed that they became romantically involved after their fourth meeting.

They began dating in November and started living together by February. However, conflicts arose between them. The husband expressed concern, saying, "It seems like she can't control her spending." The wife admitted, "When I came to Korea, I had about 30 million won, but I spent it all in three months." The husband added, "I had saved 50 million won before meeting her, but now it's down to 30 million," which shocked viewers. The wife attributed her spending habits to the currency difference, having grown up using the euro.

The husband voiced his anxiety over her spending habits, while the wife tearfully shared that his sharp words hurt her feelings.

The wife also struggled with daily life, feeling unable to move after outings and fearing the sound of the doorbell. She revealed that she was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder two years ago, saying, "It takes me days to recover after going out, and medication hasn't helped much."

The husband was aware of her condition before they started dating. He recalled, "She found it hard to be in crowded places and couldn't control her emotions when stressed, often bursting into tears. Initially, I was taken aback, but I gradually came to understand." Dr. Oh Eun-young explained, "She has clear difficulties with social interaction and may lack the ability to understand others," offering practical advice for daily coping.

The wife's revelations didn't end there. She confessed to having a daughter from a previous marriage in France, with whom she is embroiled in a custody battle. She became emotional when thinking about her daughter. The husband, already aware of this, remained steadfast in his decision to marry her, but another issue surfaced with his mother.

The wife expressed her feelings, saying, "Having a child isn't wrong, is it?" She added, "If she has something to say, she should tell me directly instead of going through her son," voicing her frustration over the mother-in-law conflict.