Choo Mi-ae's Story of Being Severely Beaten by Her Father... The Turbulent Path to Marriage [Sisa Show]

Seven-Year Romance and Marriage with Attorney Seo Seonghwan, Who Has a Disability

Parents Strongly Opposed: "Why Someone from Honam...?"

Choo: "There Are More People with Unkind Hearts Than with Unhealthy Bodies"

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Choo Mi-ae, Democratic Party candidate for Gyeonggi Province Governor, was once severely beaten by her father. This happened before she got married. What exactly happened? Choo Mi-ae's spouse is lawyer Seo Seong-hwan, who was born in Daegu. Seo practiced law in his hometown, Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. The two met as classmates (class of '77) in the Department of Law at Hanyang University. Seo suffered a hit-and-run car accident in high school, underwent general anesthesia and multiple surgeries, and consequently has a disability in his leg. This story is mentioned in Choo's 2014 book, "Unyielding Sincerity."

Choo passed the bar exam in 1982. Seo, who began studying after graduation, passed the bar three years later, in 1985. While attending the Judicial Research and Training Institute, Choo spent much of her stipend supporting Seo's preparation for the bar exam. Of course, Choo's parents were unaware of this at the time. When Seo passed the exam, the two had been dating for seven years. When Choo decided to marry, she introduced Seo to her parents. Choo's mother reportedly said, "There are plenty of healthy people, so why of all people..." expressing her disapproval of his disability and the fact that he was from the Honam region. Her father was especially unyielding. Choo tried to persuade her parents, saying, "There are more people with unhealthy minds than unhealthy bodies."

Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae was putting an election jumper on candidate Chu before the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly on April 13. Photo by Yonhap News

However, it seems her parents could not easily accept her decision. One evening, her father said, "Someday you'll regret not listening to me. This marriage cannot happen," and then mercilessly beat Choo, who was crouched in front of the wardrobe. Her neck was injured to the extent that she hurt her cervical vertebrae. Choo says, "The pain in my neck as an adult is an aftereffect of that incident." Her mother only managed to stop the violence by pleading, "Are you trying to kill your daughter?" Given these circumstances, Choo thought it was likely her father would not attend her wedding. She had arranged for the presiding chief judge, whom she had worked with, to stand in for her father. However, her father showed up just before she entered the wedding hall and walked her down the aisle, holding her hand.

Choo's father had two sons and two daughters, and Choo was said to be his favorite. When she was in sixth grade, he bought her a guitar and sent her to a guitar academy. Born as the son of a farmer in Dalseong, Daegu, her father campaigned for Haegong Shin Ik-hee in his twenties. For a period, he was devoted to the church and became deeply absorbed in the Bible. He also worked as a secretary to Seonggok Kim Seong-gon, who later became a member of the National Assembly. Through these connections, he worked as a supervisor at a large spinning factory in Daegu. However, after the 5·16 military coup, the regime dismissed those who had not completed military service, and he lost his job. He scraped together his severance pay and other funds to start a laundromat, but suffered hardship when it was robbed and the laundry stolen. This is why Choo was sometimes described as "the daughter of a laundromat owner" in her early political career.

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The relationship with her father, which seemed to be recovering, soured again when Choo entered politics. When Choo, who was a judge at the time, entered politics without fully consulting her parents, her father declared, "Do not cross this threshold anymore. You are no longer my daughter." His own experiences in politics as a young man, his disapproval of Choo's marriage, and her decision to enter politics without consulting him all contributed to his reaction. Choo was only able to see her father again several years later, in his hospital room. Her father was diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer and was hospitalized, and it was only then that they reconciled. He passed away shortly afterward at Samsung Hospital. Choo says, "I am the person who most resembles my father."

Her relationship with her mother was somewhat different. Her mother always prayed for her daughter. When Choo passed the bar exam, her mother prayed fervently to the Gatbawi Buddha at Eunhaesa Temple in Palgongsan, Daegu. She had a vivid dream of an orchid blooming at home and told her daughter, "I think you'll pass this time." When she was pregnant with Choo, her mother dreamed of picking two lotus flowers from a pond and holding them close to her chest. It seems her mother's influence played a significant role in Choo's Buddhist faith.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.