Former SBS anchor Kim Su-min. [Instagram capture]
Former SBS anchor Kim Su-min. [Instagram capture]

Former anchor Kim Su-min drew attention after revealing she pays her mother 10,000 won ($75) a week to help care for her two children.

On Thursday, Kim held a question-and-answer session with followers on her SNS account.

One user asked about her recently announced return to work, inquiring whether her new job ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and how she was managing childcare for two kids alongside her schedule.

Kim said her mother comes to her home every morning at 7 a.m. and also picks up the children from school, adding that she is deeply grateful for the help.

Another user then shared their own dilemma, saying their entire salary was going toward a babysitter and asking how much Kim paid her mother for the same kind of help. Kim replied that while a daily rate of 10,000 won would be appropriate for watching two children, she was only paying that amount per week.

She added that it was simply a token gesture, calling herself "quite an unfilial daughter" and saying, "Mom, I'm sorry." The remarks laid bare her guilt over not being able to properly repay her mother for looking after both children.

Born in 1997, Kim made headlines in 2018 when she passed the SBS announcer entrance exam at 21 while still in university, becoming the youngest person ever to do so. She went on to appear on various programs, including "TV Animal Farm" and "Toktok Jeongbo Brunch," before leaving the broadcaster in June 2021 — just three years after joining — citing her studies.

She later announced her marriage and the births of her children through SNS. Early last year, she was accepted into the UCLA School of Law on a full scholarship, completed her master's degree, and recently returned to South Korea to begin a new chapter in her career.

During Thursday's Q&A, Kim said an opportunity from the head of a startup law firm had led her to work as a legal staffer at a cosmetics company, where she reviewed various contracts. "As of today, I've moved on to bigger waters," she said.


betterj@heraldcorp.com