A married couple in Korea has reportedly reached the brink of divorce over conflicts stemming from disparate financial treatment of their respective families, according to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang" program aired on the 30th.
The story involves a woman identified as Ms. A, who met her husband eight years ago after being introduced by his father, a taxi driver, during her commute. After dating for a year and a half, they married, and Ms. A began building her relationship with her in-laws by personally preparing a birthday feast for her father-in-law.
While her father-in-law was deeply moved and praised her efforts, her mother-in-law remarked, "I'd like to receive a table like this for my birthday too." For the next six years, Ms. A personally prepared birthday feasts for both in-laws every year.
Financial burdens mounted a year into the marriage when her father-in-law quit his taxi job after repeated accidents, leaving the couple responsible for the in-laws' living expenses. Each year-end, the couple negotiated the amount of financial support.
"I felt weighed down because it seemed like we were only providing financial support to my husband's family," Ms. A said, adding that she "held back considering their difficult circumstances."
The conflict escalated last year around her mother-in-law's 70th birthday celebration. After returning from a family trip to Zhangjiajie, China, the mother-in-law complained, "Everyone was carrying flashy designer bags while I was embarrassed by my shabby one."
Ms. A offered to buy her a bag of her choice for the following year's birthday. A year later, her mother-in-law sent a link to a luxury bag worth approximately 3 million won ($2,200). After discussing with her husband, Ms. A purchased the bag as a birthday gift.
The problem arose afterward. Ahead of her own mother's birthday, Ms. A reserved a high-end restaurant, wanting to properly treat her parents who had always covered meal costs themselves.
Her husband's response was different. When Ms. A asked what gift to get for her mother, he replied, "If your sister's family comes too, dinner alone will cost 500,000 won. Do we really need to add a gift?"
When Ms. A pointed out that they had provided both meals and gifts for his parents' birthdays, her husband said, "The situation is different now," adding, "I'll make it up properly for your mother's 70th birthday in two years."
Unable to hold back any longer, Ms. A chose to retaliate. When her mother-in-law offered ahead of Ms. A's birthday to buy her whatever gift she wanted, Ms. A sent a link to the same luxury bag she had given her mother-in-law the previous year.
Her mother-in-law read the message but did not respond. Shortly after, a text arrived from her husband: "Are you out of your mind? My mother is furious. You made a mistake this time."
After work, her husband demanded she apologize to his mother first. Ms. A countered, "I'm going to give that bag I was supposed to receive to my own mother. If I can't have that bag, we're getting divorced." The marital dispute spiraled to extremes.
Psychology professor Park Sang-hee, commenting on the case, said, "The woman's emotions exploded after holding back for a long time," adding that "sending the luxury bag link knowing the other party couldn't afford it was an action prepared for conflict."
Park advised, "The husband needs to make efforts to understand his wife's feelings, and the wife also needs to express her emotions directly through conversation."
Online reactions were divided. Some argued, "The mother-in-law demanding a luxury bag while receiving living expenses is the bigger problem," while others countered, "You can't compare a 70th birthday gift with a regular birthday" and "The husband said he would make it up for the mother-in-law's 70th, so this is excessive."
