[MyDaily = Reporter Seo Ki-chan] Former news anchor turned broadcaster Yoon Young-mi stunned viewers when she recounted the brutal, 13-year effort of singlehandedly financing her two sons’ educations in the United States — and the sense of relief she felt when it finally ended.
On the May 2 broadcast of MBN’s Sokpulishow Dongchimi, speaking on the theme “Where does the grind for money end?,” Yoon said she had been solely responsible for her sons’ U.S. studies for 13 years.
She said the sons attended one of New York’s most expensive universities and that tuition, room and board and related expenses ran more than 100 million KRW per student per year (approximately $75,000). Including middle and high school years, she suggested the total bill reached at least 2.6 billion KRW (approximately $1.95 million).
Their study abroad began just as she shifted to freelance work — a change that pushed her life to the brink.
Yoon said she was the only one earning, sending between 20 million and 25 million KRW a month (approximately $15,000–$18,750), while surviving on rental housing herself.
The burden was heavier because her husband worked as a pastor helping North Korean defectors and effectively had no income. “He’s a serving pastor, not a money-making pastor, so there’s no money,” she said, describing a feeling that no amount she earned was ever enough.
Her physical and emotional strain reached a peak. Managing four to five appointments a day while suffering menopausal pain, she said she took on work that paid as little as 100,000 KRW (approximately $75) and even canceled insurance policies to come up with immediate tuition payments.
Recalling the deep loneliness she endured, Yoon said she once prayed, “Please don’t let me wake up tomorrow morning,” a candid admission that moved many viewers.
The seemingly endless tunnel ended two years ago when both sons graduated. Though she had only 970,000 KRW left in her bank account (approximately $728), the freedom from wiring massive tuition checks was priceless.
“Even with just 970,000 KRW left, I was so happy I didn’t have to send tuition anymore,” she said, adding that she spontaneously danced in the middle of Times Square.
To mark her 30th wedding anniversary recently, her grown sons gave her a designer handbag. “After the hard times passed, I finally feel rewarded,” Yoon said, drawing a close to the long chapter of supporting their studies abroad.
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