Inspiring stories of hard-working young Korean moms who juggle child care and studying to build a better future as both mothers, women
After two years of studying, all while caring for her toddler daughter and welcoming a son, Lee is now on the brink of beginning a new chapter in her life.
A 35-year-old former dental clinic employee, she passed the annual civil servant exam in the health affairs field this August. The demanding once-a-year test covers subjects from Korean history and English to health care administration and related laws.
“I often felt anxious and physically exhausted when household chores piled up, from preparing meals and doing the dishes to laundry and cleaning,” Lee recalled in an interview with The Korea Herald.
The only time of the day she could dedicate entirely to studying was the hours her first child spent at day care — from 9 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. — while a babysitter from a government-run child care service cared for her baby boy at home.
Yet, what drove her was the determination to be a "role model for the children by doing something meaningful for the public,” said Lee, whose two children are now 3 years and 8 months old.
If you think Lee is an outlier, you're mistaken.
On social media platforms in South Korea, hard-working young moms like Lee share their daily routines — studying while their little ones are napping, or even with a sleeping baby on their back — in a growing community of "momsisaeng."
The term combines mom and the Korean term "gosisaeng," which refers to those preparing for national assessments such as the bar exam and government employment exams.
Some turn to the national college entrance exam known as Suneung to pursue specialized coursework in pharmacy or veterinary medicine at universities.
'Motherhood doesn't limit who I am'
Kim Myung-eun, 38, a mother in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, has been studying to become a certified tax accountant since late last year.
Kim says she started to consider her role in society beyond being her son's mother after her son entered elementary school this year.
“As he now spends more time at private academies and with friends after school, I’ve found myself with more time of my own."
Lee Seo-ye, 32, a mother of a 7-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter living in Ulsan, has been preparing for the level-9 civil service exam since January.
She resonated with Kim’s motivation to study, saying, “Preparing for the exam is my way of reclaiming who I am beyond motherhood."
Beyond regaining her sense of identity, seeing her parents’ generation grow older made her realize the importance of being financially independent in an aging society where life expectancy continues to rise.
“I don’t want to rely on my husband financially forever, and I strongly believe that being financially capable myself will also benefit my children,” she added.
She wakes up at around 4-5 a.m. on weekdays to study before her children wake up and get ready for school. When they are at school or attending after-school classes, she continues her studies, keeping herself motivated by sharing her daily study routine on Instagram.
“I had my children at a young age and took a long career break to raise them. I’m studying hard, hoping to return to society not as someone’s wife or someone’s mother, but as a professional who gets her job done," she said.
For Lee, the former dental clinic employee who passed the civil servant exam, the desire to balance professional life and family motivated her to prepare for the exam.
A career in government service, she said, is one of the few career options that allow working mothers to balance their duties at home and at work, thanks to guaranteed parental leave and stable employment until retirement.
Support essential
Seong, 34, began her years-long journey to become a legal professional in March 2019, when her daughter was just 7 months old.
After intensive preparation for the Legal Education Eligibility Test required for law school admission, she was admitted to Korea University School of Law the following year. In 2024, she passed the bar exam. She now works as an attorney at one of the nation’s top five law firms. Her daughter started elementary school this year.
It was a highly competitive path, and she admits she wouldn't have succeeded without the support she had.
While her husband worked full-time, a live-in babysitter looked after her child most of the times. On weekends and whenever needed, her mother-in-law who lived nearby came over to help.
“I sacrificed time with my baby to study. I could say I put parenting on hold for a while. It would have been impossible without the support of my family,” she said.
Before setting out to pursue a career in law, her previous role on the corporate strategy team at a major conglomerate offered stable salaries and benefits that some might envy. But she craved “an environment where I could earn more based on her own expertise," she said.
“Money isn’t everything, but I wanted to give my child more opportunities," she added. "I felt I needed to grow further to prepare for an uncertain future, so I decided to take on the challenge before it was too late."
cjh@heraldcorp.com
