I’m honestly not the type of person who watches the news a lot or has a huge passion for social issues. I usually just enjoy YouTube, games, STEM research, or solving math problems way more. So any “interest” I have in society is kind of something I grew up hearing about—my mom used to work in social policy, so she talked to me about these things pretty often.
The group home where the Minwoos live has five residents, and their stories alone already show so many problems in our society. I don’t know everything about their backgrounds, but I can share a little bit.
There’s one resident who’s older than me and has a mild intellectual disability. He ended up in the group home because his father was abusive. It’s really scary when the place that’s supposed to protect you—your own family—becomes the most dangerous place instead.
The older Minwoo’s dad is Korean and his mom is from Vietnam. As Korea’s economy grew, marriages between Korean men and foreign women became really common. Most of the women come from Southeast Asia or Russia, and you see this a lot in rural areas. But there are a lot of issues that come with it. Many of the men in these marriages are low-income and not highly educated, and the couples often marry without knowing each other well. I don’t know much about Minwoo’s dad—apparently he disappeared. His mom was deported right after he was born for being involved in illegal activities. That’s how he ended up in the group home.
And Korea isn’t just dealing with marriage migrants; we also have foreign workers, North Korean defectors, and other newcomers from different countries. They all came here for different reasons, and I just hope they’re able to build stable lives.
The younger Minwoo’s parents both had mental disabilities. His dad committed suicide, and his mom passed away after being hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. After she was admitted, Minwoo’s grandfather raised him. But before that, when his mom was taking care of him, she didn’t feed him properly and just let him watch a phone all day. When he first came to the group home at four years old, he couldn’t even speak. His cognitive skills were really delayed. Thankfully, he’s doing much better now and is pretty similar to kids his age.
He still has his grandfather, who makes a living by collecting and selling cardboard. Seeing that makes me sad because he’s old and it’s such hard work. Even my own grandparents have trouble moving around now, so I can imagine how tough it must be for him. Korea has a growing issue with elderly people living alone—they can’t work, they’re isolated, and some even pass away without anyone noticing. I don’t know all the details about the challenges people with mental disabilities face, but raising a child while dealing with that must be incredibly difficult.
There are a lot of problems behind these stories, but I’m still glad that the Minwoos and the other residents were able to come to the group home. I really hope that the “home” part of “group home” becomes true for them—a place where they can feel safe, supported, and cared for.