Parents and homeroom teachers say, "Why are we eliminating a place where teenage women in crisis can feel secure?"
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2025 2:02 pm
A teenage woman who was admitted to a mental hospital twice in 'Suicide Live' was deprived of her only place of rest.: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/ ... 33?sid=102
The teenage women's health center 'I am Spring', which has been providing daily care and medical services to teenage women in crisis, closed on the 4th. This is because the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would launch a new support center for integrated support for at-risk youth next year and ended the existing center's consignment work.
The teenage women's temporary support center 'Namu', which drew attention for actively interacting with teenage women in crisis, such as dancing with 'Gyeongui Line Kids' who were stigmatized as prostitutes, will also end its operation this year. Namu has been questioned by external sources as it failed to receive re-consignment approval from the Seoul Metropolitan Council last year due to overlapping services with youth shelters and other facilities.
Female youth are shaking with anxiety due to the successive closures of teenage women's support facilities. Not only are they at a loss due to the support gap caused by the closures, but it is also unclear whether the newly launched integrated center will be able to perform the functions of the existing institutions.
<Pressian> met four women in crisis, expressing regret at the news of the successive closures of I Am Bom, Namu, and the small-scale support facilities for women in crisis in their teens, saying that their lives could change thanks to them. They questioned the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s claim that it would close down the existing well-run centers and open integrated centers. They all agreed that rather than one large tree, installing small-scale support facilities throughout the community would be a better way to support women in crisis. We will introduce the stories of four women in crisis one by one.
“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real. You’re not closing down completely, are you?”
This was the only question that came out of Park Ji-soo (13, pseudonym), who always gave short answers to any question with a nervous look. Even before the reporter finished telling her that the teenage women’s health center ‘I Am Bom’ was closing down, Ji-soo asked in a trembling voice whether she would be able to return. For Ji-soo, who is admitted to a psychiatric ward in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, I Am Bom is the only place of refuge she wants to visit as soon as she leaves the hospital.
Jisoo Yang, who was out of breath, could not give a hopeful answer. This is because the city of Seoul, which had been recruiting a new agency to take charge of I Am Bom and was planning to reopen in January, suddenly changed its position to "planning to open in 2026." Even if Jisoo Yang leaves the center and is in danger again, it is not only impossible to find I Am Bom this year, but no one can answer when the delayed opening date will be postponed again, and whether the city of Seoul will be able to find an agency that can take care of the minds of teenage women like before.
Jisoo Yang emphasized that she wanted to go back, saying that she was able to significantly reduce her 'delinquent behavior' that no one could fix thanks to I Am Bom. When asked why she could only do it at I Am Bom when she had a home and school, Jisoo Yang slowly began to explain the reason, revealing her past when she had attempted suicide.
Live-broadcasting suicide and dating an adult male... neither home nor school could do anything
The 'delinquent behavior' that Jisoo Yang talks about started from the 'live-broadcasting suicide' in the 6th grade of elementary school, when she was in puberty. In a multicultural and divorced family, Jisoo Yang could not form any attachment to her grandparents, father, older brother, or anyone else. Her grandfather and father did not have the time to take care of Jisoo Yang, and her grandmother was the only one who took care of her, but the generation gap was so big that she felt oppressed.
Jisoo Yang fell into a severe emotional crisis as she could not get along with her school friends. Thinking that she had nowhere else to go, she broadcasted her suicide attempt live on social media. Rather than saying that she really wanted to die, she was asking for help because she was so isolated that she could not handle it alone. Fortunately, the suicide attempt failed, and upon hearing the news, her grandmother decided that she could not handle Jisoo Yang alone and admitted her to a mental hospital.
Jisoo Yang also had difficulty adjusting to middle school, which she entered the following year. Her classmates were reluctant to live with her because she had difficulty washing due to bipolar disorder and could not handle menstrual blood well. Jisoo Yang, who felt isolated and had difficulty with regular life, gradually started skipping school. Instead, she began making 'bad friends' who drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes. The more the grandmother worried about Jisoo, the more her 'delinquent behavior' became more severe, and the vicious cycle continued.
There was a decisive moment when Jisoo could no longer stand by and watch. Jisoo disappeared for several days without going to school or home, and the police, who received reports, found Jisoo with an adult male after a search. Jisoo had been meeting adult men through SNS and online chats. She was only in her early teens, so there was no telling when she would be exposed to sexual exploitation.
Special management by the school and family counseling by a local counseling agency were conducted, but everything felt like a formality to Jisoo. So, Mr. Park, Jisoo's homeroom teacher at the time, decided that he could no longer educate her in a normal way, so he contacted I Am Bom, which specializes in teenage females at risk, and connected Jisoo in May of last year.
What teenage females at risk need is 'affection', not 'coercion'... Find stability and explore career paths
"The food was really good. It was more comfortable and tastier than eating at home." This is the moment when Jisoo Yang speaks the loudest during the interview. It was her first time eating a warm meal in a kitchen with a yard and talking about her daily life with adults. Since she had always felt frustrated eating the same side dishes without talking to her family in a house where she couldn’t see outside, the mealtime at Naeunbom was even more shocking.
In addition, Jisoo Yang was able to feel affection and harmony at Naeunbom that she had never felt anywhere else. It was neither strict like home nor had many rules like school. Instead of scolding Jisoo for what she had done, the social workers treated her leniently, saying, “That’s possible.” Jisoo gained courage from the social workers’ encouragement that just getting better little by little was enough, and she quit drinking and started going to school.
"When I first went there, I didn't have much of a conversation partner, so I couldn't speak well, but I slowly got used to it because I felt comfortable in the harmonious, family-like atmosphere. The daily advice was also good. It was like, you don't have to go to school all 5 days a week, so slowly increase your attendance frequency, and if you're curious, you can drink alcohol, but if possible, drink when you're an adult. It wasn't like that at home. In a situation where it was difficult to have a regular life, it was hard to be scolded, 'Don't skip school,' and 'Quit drinking and smoking right away.'"
Along with daily life, health and hygiene issues also improved significantly. Jisoo Yang discovered polycystic ovary syndrome through the gynecological treatment provided by I am Bom and started taking medicine. At the oriental medicine treatment, she treated her always stiff shoulders, and at the dental treatment, she treated her cavities. With the help of social workers, she was able to improve her bad breath problem, which was the main reason she couldn't get along with her peers, by increasing the number of times she bathed.
After finding peace of mind, she started looking for a career path that she hadn't considered before. When asked what she wants to do when she becomes an adult, Jisoo Yang said, "I want to open a small flower shop near Hongik University Station and sell bouquets and snacks in gift boxes." She said that she learned how fun flower arrangements are and how the scent of flowers can make people feel at ease while taking flower therapy classes at I Am Bom, and that she wants to become a florist near Hongik University, which she usually uses as a place for 'flying behavior,' as her workplace.
"If a Seoul mayor or president makes such a decision, I want to protest."
Jisoo Yang, who had been recovering her daily life after a year at I Am Bom, was suddenly admitted to a psychiatric ward again in May. She attempted suicide before she had time to do anything due to the stress and bipolar symptoms that had been lingering in her mind. Jisoo Yang, who briefly left the ward for an interview, spoke honestly about why she attempted suicide, but also expressed her expectations that she was adjusting better to hospital life than when she first entered the hospital two years ago, and that she would be able to do well in her family relationships and school life after discharge.
Jisoo Yang, who is looking forward to life outside the hospital, is only worried about the closure of I Am Bom. In particular, Jisoo Yang is most saddened by the fact that the social workers she had grown attached to have all left I Am Bom due to the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s decision not to transfer employment, and she will no longer be able to meet them.
“I feel lost and upset that the place I used to go to is closing. Still, it is a place I have affection for, and the teachers were so nice, so I feel sad that I can’t meet them. It’s not going to disappear completely, right? I hope I Am Bom will reorganize and come back, and if possible, I hope the teachers will come back.”
Jisoo Yang’s family and school, who have been watching her changes, are also opposed to the closure of I Am Bom. Jisoo Yang's grandmother, Ms. Kim, met with <Pressian> and said, "I really liked how my child, who rarely opened up at home, liked talking to the teachers at Ilbom and made many friends." She also criticized, saying, "Not only us, but many children from low-income families and multicultural families visit Ilbom, so if they suddenly say they're closing it, where are they supposed to go? If I had my way, I would protest and say that the mayor of Seoul, who made this decision, should not vote for the president." Teacher Park told <Pressian>, "The children don't like Ilbom because it has such a great system or provides such a huge budget. They like it because they can feel peace of mind just by going there and participating in the programs Ilbom runs." She expressed concern, saying, "There are so many at-risk students, including Jisoo Yang, and these children are gradually losing their places to attach their hearts to." (To be continued)