Former national soccer player Lee Dong Gook‘s son, Si An (also known as Daebak), is about to enter middle school.
On the 2nd, Lee Dong Gook’s wife, Lee Su Jin, said, “Si An, who will soon become a middle school student… I thought the worries about school admission were still far off, but his friends have already made their decisions one by one, and only Si An hasn’t decided yet. Where is the right place to send him? Is this choice really the best path for him?”
Lee Su Jin expressed her concerns, saying, “He still seems like a baby who can’t do anything on his own… No matter how good the team is, is it right to have him live in a dorm, correct his picky eating, take care of himself, and learn to live independently?” She added, “Why does he have to leave his mother’s care at such a young age just because he wants to be a soccer player?”
She continued, “I don’t think Si An is mentally prepared yet… Honestly, I think I’m the one who’s least prepared,” and said, “If he’s going to keep playing soccer anyway, there will come a day when he will have to train at a camp and leave home. But why does that ‘someday’ have to be now? Just thinking about it makes me tear up.”
She went on to say, “Lately, he doesn’t listen much and seems to be starting puberty, but still… even though I nag him incessantly, I want to keep him by my side just one day longer—that’s how a mother feels,” and added, “When I ask others with experience, I hear conflicting advice: ‘You have to let him go,’ and ‘He’s still too young, he needs to stay longer.’ Everyone says something different.”
She also said, “I have no idea which choice is right, there’s no correct answer, and the time is approaching quickly… These days, my mind wavers several times a day. Soccer moms of sixth graders and those facing school admission must all feel the same way, right? How is it that I have to let him go already? (A foolish mom’s lament.)”
Lee Dong Gook and Lee Su Jin, who is a former Miss Korea Hawaii, are married and have one son and four daughters. The family gained recognition after appearing on variety show The Return of Superman.