On October 16, an unusual post on Karrot Market, an online second-hand market, was left by an anonymous woman with an attention-grabbing title: “36-Week-old Child Up for Adoption” on Jeju Island. The seller added two photos of the child along with an asking price of 200,000 Korean won. The post was quickly deleted but became extremely controversial and attracted the attention of the authorities. The person who left the post was revealed to be a single mother to an unwanted child who had suffered through postpartum depression and uploaded the post during a breakdown; she deleted it after she had returned to her senses. 

Upon receiving the report, the Jeju Island Police started investigating the anonymous uploader, known as Miss A, to charge her with a violation of the Child Welfare Law. Through Internet Protocol (IP) tracking, it was revealed that she had given birth on October 13, so the child was only three days old at the time of posting on Karrot Market. When confronted by the authorities, Miss A stated that raising a child would have been difficult as a single mother, especially given that the child’s father could not be contacted and was not legally responsible for the child. Further inquiries revealed that, aside from the mother’s odd post, there were no other health problems for both Miss A or her child.

The Root of the Issue

Life is not easy for single mothers in South Korea. In particular, mothers who do not have other means of support — the father absent and no law established to hold them accountable — are faced with the pressure of childcare. One burden that single mothers face is postpartum care fees. Postpartum care provided by the current government is not funded well, and most care centers are costly. For instance, most care centers charge 1,000,000 Korean won a week, but the government funds provide only 700,000 Korean won at most. This means that government support does not cover even the minimum costs, and some people do not have access to public funds.

In Miss A’s case, the lack of financial support from her parents and partner, along with the difficulties of being a single parent, paralyzed her with great fear. Her partner was unable to support a child, and she had to wean the child for seven days before putting them up for adoption. While she was one of the lucky cases who received limited funds from the government, her parents’ lack of support and her lack of income represented an economic burden. 

Unsupportive Laws for Single Mothers

One suggestion behind Miss A’s action made by the Governor of Jeju Island, Won Hee-ryong, is that the current law requires a birth report for the child in order to put them up for adoption. The Special Adoption Act also legally requires a period of seven days after birth before adoption in an attempt to convince the parents to rethink their decision about the adoption. Furthermore, the law indicates that the parents should gain the approval of the family court to put their child up for adoption — meaning that the birth and adoption would be in the public record. The law was initially amended to encourage parents to keep their children and reduce the international adoption of Korean children. The intentions of the law aside, this act has caused great difficulties for mothers who face circumstances similar to Miss A’s. Many clauses included in the Special Adoption Act establish obstacles for adoption, and the public record preserves the social stigma, which, in extreme cases, can lead to a loss of employment opportunities in the future. 

Lastly, there is no specific law in South Korea that charges neglectful fathers, and their lack of support cannot be brought before the court, unlike in the United States (U.S.), where child support is enforced by law. A lot of mothers are left charged with the responsibility of the child without payment in a workforce that would discriminate against them. Therefore, it can be concluded that the rights of single mothers are not fully protected by the law in South Korea. This is clearly something that needs to be reviewed, both in informal social settings and by the government as a whole. 

A Solution That May Be Difficult to Achieve

The solution for single mothers lies in the hands of higher institutions. According to *The Dong-A Ilbo*, while the government is certainly doing its best to support single mothers with social policies, most of its well-meaning programs are underfunded and act as a gateway to social stigma for the women. Furthermore, the archaic laws that fail to make runaway fathers legally responsible for their child add to the mental and economic burden that these women are not equipped to face. As previously stated, the current policies have been designed to discourage international adoptions and encourage biological parents to keep their children — but it is clear in Miss A’s case that this legal requirement damaged her mental health and put her child in a dangerous situation.

Furthermore, campaigning for social awareness is also an important step in acknowledgment beyond the traditional mindset. Modern society has opened possibilities for families to take in diverse forms and different sizes. Some cannot afford to maintain the nuclear family forever due to circumstances out of their control. Recognizing the reality of the people living in circumstances different from the stereotypical greatly improves their situation; eliciting acceptance in place of shunning and sympathy would normalize single parenthood. 

Overall, it is impossible to completely blame this incident on Miss A. While her irresponsibility is an undeniable factor in this incident, there are institutions and the actions of her ex-partner that had influenced her into this form of breakdown. There is limited support for unmarried mothers, and it must be noted that to gain legal support, many have to jump through unreasonable hoops with difficult standards to meet.