Another great drama and another societal issue that is addressed in today's Korea! TVING's 12-episode series about an experienced merchandiser who stepped away from the workforce for seven years is back in full force! We break down how this drama talks about gender equality and other nuances in Korea's workforce today!
Ra Mi Ran's acting skills are on full display as she tackles the spirit of an older employee struggling to fit into today's ever-changing workplace. Portraying a mother with a teenage daughter, Go Hae Ra (Ra Mi Ran The Good Bad Mother 2023) returns to the workforce after 7 years as an entry-level employee at Market House. To spice up the storyline, Hae Ra meets Choi Ji Won (Uhm Ji Won Little Women 2022), the director of the product planning team. Ji Won makes an unusual proposition to Hae Ra, get rid of all the working moms who applied for leave, by whatever means possible.
Whoa! What??
That's correct! You heard it right! In today's Korean workforce, Korean working moms are easy targets for companies to get rid of when times are tough and money is tight. Two episodes in and Cold Blooded Intern has already hit a sensitive topic that most Korean women are afraid of when it comes to their careers, falling behind!
Roles are reversed when Hae Ra was once a manager and couldn't sympathize with other working moms who wanted to take leave. Ji Won was once a sympathetic co-worker who sided with working mothers is now asking Hae Rae to do the thing that she once stood firm about! Which brings us to the discussion of working moms in South Korea!
Have you ever thought about being bullied at work just because you're a working mother? In April of 2023, a working mother at Naver, Korea's leading internet firm committed suicide due to being bullied at work! (The Korean Herald) Many working mothers find their childcare responsibilities are a hindrance to their jobs so many Korean women are refraining from having children or getting married at all.
Although many Korean women enter the workforce with a college education (76.6 in 2022) they either choose to leave voluntarily or involuntarily by the time they get married, pregnant, or after giving birth. This puts a lot of stress on the husbands as well as being a single-income household, but that's another issue.
Cold Blood Intern is by no means trying to take on all the issues of working mothers in Korea but opens a glimpse into what it's like to be a career-oriented woman in today's working society. What are your thoughts about this issue? Does this happen in your country as well? Comment below!
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