Comedian Lee Su-ji portrays a “Daechi-dong mom” wearing a luxury Moncler jacket in a video posted on her YouTube channel on February 4. (Screenshot from YouTube channel ‘Hot Issue Ji’)
SEOUL, March 8 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing wave of media attention is focusing on ‘Daechi Moms,’ a term referring to ambitious South Korean parents who dedicate their lives to their children’s elite education.
From viral YouTube skits to TV documentaries and drama series, these mothers—often depicted wearing luxury fashion while micromanaging their children’s academic pursuits—have become a trending cultural phenomenon.
YouTube Parodies and TV Exposés
Comedian Lee Su-ji catapulted the Daechi Mom trope into the spotlight with her YouTube series “Human Documentary: Because I Love My Child.” The parody, featuring a well-dressed mother obsessively managing her child’s studies in Seoul’s elite Daechi-dong district, amassed over 10 million views in just one month.
The trend expanded beyond YouTube, with KBS’s “Chujeok 60 Minutes” airing an investigative piece titled “The 7-Year-Old Entrance Exam”, exposing the extreme academic pressure placed on young children by parents. The documentary, which depicted children crying before intensive academy tests, quickly gained over 1.5 million views.
The Genie TV drama “Riding Life” follows a working mother who juggles her career with relentlessly chauffeuring her 7-year-old daughter to elite academies. (Image from the Genie TV)
The Drama Series: ‘Riding Life’
The cultural phenomenon has also reached scripted television. The Genie TV drama “Riding Life” follows a working mother who juggles her career with relentlessly chauffeuring her 7-year-old daughter to elite academies. The show highlights parents consulting shamans for school admissions, faking illnesses to obtain premium study materials, and engaging in cutthroat networking.
The paradox at the heart of Daechi Mom culture is evident: while mothers claim to prioritize their child’s happiness, they simultaneously subject them to intense academic schedules, timing their English speech drills with a stopwatch and forcing them into classes against their will.
A student strolls through the cram school district of Daechi-dong in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, absorbed in a book. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Fascination, Criticism, and Unintended Consequences
While these portrayals critique South Korea’s hyper-competitive education system, they have also sparked public fascination and envy. Cultural critics argue that Daechi-dong’s elite academic world, despite its pressures, holds an aspirational allure for many parents.
Media scholar Yoon Seok-jin explains, “Daechi-dong is both an open and exclusive space. Many parents secretly desire access, making these portrayals simultaneously critical and aspirational.”
Critic Jung Deok-hyun adds, “Some viewers may mock Daechi Moms, but others see them as models of sacrifice, providing the best education at any cost. The mix of admiration, guilt, and frustration fuels the public’s deep engagement with this trend.”
The scene of Daechi-dong’s academy district in Gangnam, Seoul. Late at night, heavy traffic congestion is common as parents park their cars to pick up their children after academy classes. (Yonhap)
Celebrity Fallout and Backlash
The Daechi Mom phenomenon has inadvertently drawn real-life figures into the controversy. Actress Han Ga-in found herself at the center of speculation after posting a YouTube video of herself waiting in her car while her children attended tutoring sessions.
Viewers immediately likened her to Lee Su-ji’s satirical character, prompting Han to remove the video and clarify that the shoot was staged.
Meanwhile, some critics argue that these portrayals reduce the issue to comedy without addressing South Korea’s deeper education crisis. Lee Su-ji, aware of the growing controversy, admitted on a radio interview that the unintended interpretations of her Daechi Mom character have left her feeling conflicted.
As the debate over extreme education culture continues, Daechi Moms remain a complex symbol of both ambition and anxiety, critique and aspiration, in South Korea’s competitive society.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
