Mixed reactions as Heo Yang-im shares son's daily life

Heo Yang-im, a family medicine specialist who divorced Sechs Kies member Ko Ji-yong, has shared daily life with her son, Seung-jae, through her personal YouTube channel, sparking divided opinions among netizens regarding the media exposure of children.

On the 21st, Heo released a video titled 'Heo Yang-im Vlog 002' on her YouTube channel. The video captures Heo welcoming Seung-jae at Incheon International Airport after he returned from learning to ski in New Zealand for about four weeks.

Meeting her son after nearly a month, Heo warmly embraced Seung-jae, noting his growth by saying, "You've grown taller?", "You've become handsome?", and "Your legs are so sturdy?" Seung-jae also showed a close bond with his mother, asking, "Mom, is the hospital doing well?" as they caught up on each other's lives.

However, following the video's release, some viewers raised concerns about Seung-jae's continuous media exposure. In particular, opinions were split over whether the child is at an age where he can fully understand and consent to his image being publicly exposed, and to what extent parents can utilize a child's likeness and privacy for content.

Some netizens reacted with sentiments such as, "I wonder if the children's exposure sufficiently reflects their own wishes," and "The more content shows the daily lives of celebrity families, the more carefully a child's privacy should be handled." On the other hand, a debate continues with opinions suggesting there is no need to excessively problematize a video that simply captures the everyday meetings between a parent and child.

This controversy is a recurring issue as cases of celebrity family members appearing in personal media have increased recently. Especially since YouTube and SNS have relatively loose boundaries between production and distribution compared to traditional broadcasting, and once videos or photos are released, they may remain online for a long time or be reprocessed by third parties, more cautious judgment is required regarding the appearance of minor children.

After her divorce from Ko became known, Heo began communicating more actively with the public by opening her personal YouTube channel. She stated that while she had appeared on medical-related broadcasts, she did not have many opportunities to fully share her own life and thoughts. She also expressed her intention to create a space to communicate more closely with patients and record her daily life.

Heo and Ko married in 2013 and had a son, Seung-jae. Seung-jae first became known to the public in his childhood when he appeared with his parents on KBS 2TV's 'The Return of Superman' in 2017. Ko recently revealed that the two divorced about two years ago, and it is known that Seung-jae is currently being raised by Heo.

Ko also recently shared a photo from his son's childhood, leaving the message "Always miss you, my baby boy," expressing his affectionate feelings for his son. It appears that even after the divorce, the parents are maintaining their relationship with their son in their own ways.

Ultimately, the core of this controversy lies not in the act of parents sharing daily life with their children, but in how far the privacy and right to self-determination of minors should be protected. Especially as family content has established itself as a profit model and a means of personal branding, voices are growing louder that the child's wishes and privacy protection must be treated as a crucial standard in content production.