‘GodingMomPa5’ has concluded its meaningful 3-year journey with the story of ‘MZ farmer’ Park Jae-wook. ‘GodingMomPa’, which has helped 130 ‘GodingMomPas’ since its first broadcast in March 2022, has drawn attention by concluding its long journey with Season 5.

In the final episode of MBN‘s ‘GodingMomPa5 That Adults Don’t Know (hereafter ‘GodingMomPa5’)’, which aired on the 4th, Park Jae-wook, who appeared as the husband of ‘High School Mom’ Lee Yu-ri from Season 3, made a reappearance. After revealing that he and his wife have been separated for 10 months, he said, “I want to restore my family,” but his wife Lee Yu-ri said, “I want to divorce for the sake of our son,” showing a tense difference in their stances. After hearing both sides‘ positions, the studio cast gave them realistic advice, saying, “I hope you can make a cool-headed judgment for the sake of each other’s future.” In addition, the production team said goodbye to the viewers with Season 5 as the finale, and looked back on the meaningful footsteps of the past three years by showing the appearances of the 130 main characters who had appeared so far. After the broadcast, viewers said, “I‘m glad that the unfamiliar life of a ’high school mom dad‘ was highlighted with a warm gaze”, “We were able to break the prejudice against ’parents of teenagers‘ through the broadcast”, “A program like ’Danbi‘ that gave strength to the marginalized ’parents of teenagers‘!”, “It was very meaningful in that it drew social attention to ’parents of teenagers‘ who are members of our society” and gave them a round of applause.

The last main character of the episode was Park Jae-wook, the husband of Lee Yu-ri, who appeared in ’High School Mom Dad 3‘. He visited the studio again after 1 year and 7 months and shared a shocking story, saying, “It’s been 10 months since my wife took our son and left home. My wife is currently asking for a divorce, but I want to restore our family.” Next, he revealed his daily life after ‘separation’. He had been quietly doing farm work since morning, but he confessed the reason for his separation to his close friend who came to visit him because he was worried about him. He explained, “My wife went out to play and I couldn‘t contact her, and she didn’t even keep the child‘s pick-up time, so I was really angry. So we had a fight, and my wife took our son and left the house.” The production team contacted his wife Lee Yuri directly to hear her side of the story, and Lee Yuri, who responded to the interview, said, “I’m currently staying at a friend‘s house. I used to live at my parents’ house, but I ran into my husband every once in a while in the neighborhood, so I ran away to another city. I want to divorce my husband, but it‘s hard (mentally) to meet him, so I came here to tell him what I think.” About the reason for wanting a divorce, Lee Yuri said, “My husband hasn’t changed at all since appearing on ‘Goding Mom Dad 3’”,” and added, “My husband often invites his friends to the house. (On that day when they had an argument), my husband‘s friends came to visit our house at my husband’s invitation. My husband told his friends who had been drinking, ‘Go to sleep,’ and when I opened my eyes in the morning, my husband was already out at work and not home,“ she confessed. Lee Yuri continued, ”It was an uncomfortable situation, but I had no choice but to take care of my friends because my husband was away. But I still kept my son‘s pickup time.“



After seeing the tense difference in positions, In Kyo-jin said, ”One of the two is lying,“ while Seo Jang-hoon said, ”I don’t understand why (Park Jae-wook) is angry because his wife claims she came home 20 minutes later (than the child‘s pickup time). A teacher wouldn’t leave a child at home alone without his parents.“ Regarding the ‘possibility of a reunion’, Lee Yuri clearly stated her intention to divorce, saying, “I don‘t want to go back to that hell. I don’t think I need to be a good father, so I don‘t think it’s necessary.”.

Late at night, Park Jae-wook returned home to an acquaintance‘s house instead of his home. He explained, “It’s so hard to be in a house where my wife and child still have traces, so I‘ve been living in that house at the recommendation of a close friend. It’s already been about 3 months.”. Immediately after, Park Jae-wook responded to the acquaintance‘s question, “Have you eaten?”, saying, “I haven’t eaten a single meal all day”, and he poured himself a drink. The acquaintance tried to stop him, saying, “Take care of your health. After that day, I thought I‘d never see you again.”. In response, Park Jae-wook said, “In fact, I made a bad choice after my wife left home”, shocking the studio.”. The production team then continued their interview with Lee Yuri, who said, “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, too. He didn’t even pack me food and didn’t speak to me kindly. But I don’t think that was a mistake worthy of assault,” causing a second shock. Lee Yuri said, “After that day (the fight between the couple), my trust and faith in my husband were all broken. My son also became afraid of adult men (because of the trauma from that day). I won’t go back because I feel sorry toward my son.” After hearing this, In Kyo-jin asked Park Jae-wook, “Is what your wife said true?” and the studio cast was embarrassed by his answer, “It is true.” In the end, attorney Lee In-cheol coolly advised, “Assault is grounds for divorce. If you feel sorry, getting a clean divorce can be the best choice for you and your wife.” Park Mi-sun also asked, ”Is there anything you wish for your wife?“ and to Park Jae-wook‘s answer, ”I want to see my son several times a week,“ she bluntly replied, ”There is such a thing as visitation rights, so I hope you think calmly and make a choice for your son.“

After Park Jae-wook’s story, Park Mi-sun delivered the sad news of the end of ‘GodingMomPa’. Park Mi-sun said, ”‘GodingMomPa’, which started in February 2022, will end after three years. I‘m glad that the perception of ‘GodingMomPa’ has changed a lot through this program.“ In Kyo-jin said, ”I feel very sorry, but I hope that the cast members will listen to our language somewhere and move forward.“ Psychological counselor Jo Young-eun said, “Just because everyone denies it, doesn’t mean the ‘high school mom dad’ phenomenon will disappear,” and said, “It was an honor and I am grateful that we were able to shed light on the existence of ‘parents of teenagers’ who have been living in the shadows and have been marginalized, and to deliver the message that we should actively roll up our sleeves and help them,” as she bid farewell. ‘High School Mom Dad,’ which has shed warm light on the lives of 130 ‘parents of teenagers’ over the past three years, has come to a grand end with its fifth season amidst the support and regret of viewers.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com