Lee Kyung-kyu and Lee Soo-geun expressed anger upon hearing the story of a daughter who experienced domestic violence.
On the January 20th broadcast of KBS JOY’s “Ask Anything” (hereafter referred to as “Ask Anything”), to commemorate the 300th episode, “Ttiong God” Lee Kyung-kyu and “Fat God” Shindong appeared.
On this day, Kim Yena, a third-year middle school student, shared her concerns, saying, “I don’t know how to get rid of my dad who went to jail for a year because of domestic violence and child abuse.” Although currently separated due to a restraining order, she said she still feels dragged around by him. The narrator explained that, due to busy parents, she grew up under someone else’s care, and confessed, “I lived with my mom and dad since sixth grade, and that’s when domestic violence got severe.”
The narrator recounted, “At seven years old, my dad dragged my mom out by the hair, swearing at her. When I was in fourth grade, he threw cigarette butts at my mom, stomped on her belly, and beat her mercilessly, leading to us running away together. My mom said she was going to the restroom, but she had collapsed.” When people around tried to help, her mom was afraid of retaliation and hesitant to report. “We went to the hospital, and mom nearly died from a ruptured appendix,” she added. Despite that, she was beaten again after being discharged.
The father also hit the narrator. She recounted, “When I was in fifth grade, I was staying at my grandmother’s in Baengnyeongdo, and my dad came after 20 years, drunk, telling me to bring my mom, who was running away from him because of his violence. When I told him to run away and hung up, my dad took me to my grandmother’s bedroom and slapped me twice.”
When Lee Soo-geun asked why her mom met him again without escaping, she replied, “She was afraid he would kill us if we ran away.” She reported him six times, but due to her parents claiming everything was fine, the police didn’t take action. Then, when her mom called for help, she approached her teacher, leading to a report. The police, seeing her bleeding nails, persuaded her mom, who finally confessed about the abuse. The narrator described her father’s violence, saying, “I was stabbed with a pen, had cigarette burns on my body, and once, in the car, there was a knife ready to kill my mom.” Her father was merely imprisoned for a year.
When asked about her mother’s condition, the narrator shared, “She’s frightened, unable to go out even in the evenings because he knows our home address and the door code.” She added, “Until a year ago, I lent him money. I made 400,000 won a month from weekend part-time jobs and sent it all to him.”
When Lee Soo-geun questioned, “Why did you give him money foolishly?” she replied, “I felt sorry for my dad. We’re connected by blood, and he kept trying to make extreme choices. Who else does he have but me?” To which Lee Soo-geun retorted, “That’s not kindness, it’s foolishness. Did he ever show you any love?” The narrator said, “He cared for me before,” prompting Lee Soo-geun to respond sharply, “Then let your mom go and live with him. Isn’t your mom pitiable?”
Lee Kyung-kyu advised, “Change your mind; it’s better to cut ties with your dad. As you have a long life ahead, it’s better to return to school and live with your mom. Continuing the relationship due to blood ties doesn’t seem right; persistent misfortune will follow you unless you cut it off.”
Lastly, Lee Kyung-kyu directed a message to the narrator’s father, “Domestic violence is never acceptable. How desperate must your daughter have been to come here?” Lee Soo-geun also expressed, “Why bring a child who should be at school to this place? If you’re going to ruin a life, ruin your own. Aren’t people like this societal evils?”