Broadcaster Sayuri deeply apologized for the controversy surrounding her son's refusal to do homework, which revealed a somewhat misguided educational perspective.
On the 26th, a video titled "Sayuri Explains Why She Doesn't Make Her Child Do Homework" was uploaded to Sayuri's Death Note.
After five months of controversy, Sayuri said, "I'm really sorry. I didn't expect it to turn out this way. I made a verbal mistake," and first apologized to the production team, adding, "I didn't think it would get this big. Watching the video, I realized that confidently saying 'I won't do it' looks shameless. It didn't look good even to me," reflecting on her actions.
She mentioned, "I told the teacher, 'Please, I hope you understand,' and the teacher said it was okay. Not all students did their homework together," but also acknowledged, "There are rules in kindergarten, and I didn't think about that. I feel like I've learned a lot through my mistakes. I was scolded a lot and worried about. This is part of my growth, and I have reflected on it."
She continued, "Since Zen is 5 years old, he will enter elementary school in two years. He needs to understand the rules clearly. I also didn't do homework at all when I was young, but I've realized that shouldn't be the case. I don't want him to turn out like me. I hope he learns to have a better life and character than I did. I want to help him grow in areas where I was weak or couldn't do well."
Additionally, she added, "My parents in Japan are aware of the controversy. My mom said, 'You must do homework. Otherwise, you'll end up like you. You can't end up like you.'"
Earlier, Sayuri appeared on the show "A-Class" with Jang Young-ran in March, where she revealed her educational philosophy for her son Zen. At that time, she said, "In Korea, they make kids study English a lot. I want my child to be perfect in Korean," and added, "If we use Japanese at home and English outside, Korean might become weak."
She also mentioned, "There was homework from the English kindergarten, and I sent a letter to the teacher saying, 'Our son absolutely won't do homework. I also oppose homework at this age. I am proud of my son who doesn't do homework, so please do not send homework to him.'" She added that she was worried it might stifle his curiosity about language.
However, those remarks sparked controversy. While some viewed it positively as respecting the child's preferences and fostering interest, others pointed out the contradiction of refusing homework while sending him to an English kindergarten.
Furthermore, it was criticized as not just a simple learning process but also a way to learn social rules, and it was seen as disrespectful to the space of a learning environment where multiple students study together and to the teachers.
In the video, Sayuri's mother also stated, "Sayuri didn't do her homework well, and that's the father's fault," emphasizing, "She shouldn't have said, 'You don't have to do homework.' It must be done. Parents must diligently support their children's studies, and better parents should be involved alongside them. Homework is there to support the children by the teachers."
