Rhee Min-jung reveals why she minimizes private education for her elementary school son—only basketball and math—and his recent interest in drums

Actress Rhee Min-jung revealed the reason why she minimizes private education for her elementary school son, Jun-hoo. Stating that he does not attend any separate academies except for basketball and math, she is waiting for him to adapt to school life and find activities he wants for himself. In a reality where competition surrounding child education is fierce, Rhee Min-jung's principled parenting method is drawing attention.

On the 13th, a video titled 'Rhee Min-jung's Day to Decide Elementary Son's Allowance' was released on Rhee Min-jung's YouTube channel 'Lee Min-jung MJ'. While looking around shops to decide her son's allowance that day, Rhee Min-jung discovered a street crowded with academies. Observing the surroundings, she expressed surprise, saying, "There are really many here. There are so many academies."

When the production team asked if Jun-hoo also attends academies, Rhee Min-jung replied, "He doesn't attend any except for basketball and math." She further explained, "I'm not doing anything yet because I want him to do it once he develops his own schedule. He also needs to adapt to the new semester." Her intention is to give him time to adapt to school life rather than filling his schedule tightly with academy classes, and to support him once the child finds something he wants to do himself.

However, this does not mean she unconditionally draws a line against her son's interests. What Jun-hoo recently mentioned he wanted to learn was the drums. Rhee Min-jung showed a positive reaction, saying, "He said he wanted to learn the drums last time," and "Of course, it would be great if he learned it." However, she also shared realistic concerns about the difficulty of practicing freely at home. She revealed that she is considering the conditions required to learn an instrument, saying, "He won't be able to practice at home, so I thought it might be difficult."

Rhee Min-jung's educational view was focused on respecting the child's interest while not excessively increasing his schedule. Rather than adding academies just because others attend them, she intends to see if it is an activity the child actually wants and if the environment allows him to do it consistently. In particular, as it is a period of adapting to school life, her judgment to not rush into increasing academics and various activities was also evident.

In the video, memories related to Rhee Min-jung's childhood allowance were also revealed. When asked how she received her allowance during elementary school, she recalled, "After I turned ten and grew a bit taller and gained strength, I would receive an allowance if I did my mother's dishes instead." At that time, she said she would receive about 2,000 to 3,000 won after finishing the dishes.

Rhee Min-jung said, "Since my grandmother was also there, our family had to work for at least an hour after we all finished eating," and "I saved it tenaciously." Recalling the experience of saving allowance while helping with housework in her childhood, she added, "If I made Jun-hoo do that, would the dishes be okay?" which drew laughter. This part honestly revealed not only her convictions regarding private education but also her realistic concerns regarding allowance.

Rhee Min-jung married actor Lee Byung-hun in 2013, and had her son Jun-hoo in 2015 and her daughter Seo-i in 2023. As she candidly reveals her thoughts on education and daily life as a mother raising two children, attention is also gathering on Rhee Min-jung's parenting method of waiting for her son's choices.

Read the original (Korean)