Singer and musical actor Lee Ji-hoon and his Japanese wife Ayane were receiving congratulations on the news of a second pregnancy, but a recent controversy over "salt-free childrearing" ended with the deletion of an apology post, leaving disappointment.
Earlier, Ayane announced the second pregnancy and sincerely said, "This time, I am so grateful no matter the gender." She said, "With our first child we talked about whether it would be a son or daughter, but this time I didn't even have those thoughts," expressing gratitude for the new life that came after difficulty. She also said, "I'd like to be surprised by finding out the gender only when the baby is born," revealing her excitement and receiving many messages of support.
But an unexpected controversy arose after the happy news. Ayane recently posted on social media that she found candy wrappers in her daughter Ruhui's daycare bag and was "shocked because the baby is still on a salt-free diet." At the time she expressed embarrassment, saying, "We didn't give candy, and even the hospital tried to persuade [them]," but some internet users criticized it, saying, "It looks like a public attack on the daycare," and, "It feels like imposing personal childrearing views on an institution."
As the controversy grew, Lee Ji-hoon apologized directly on social media, saying, "Our Ruhui is salt-free. Sorry for making a fuss," and Ayane also posted a long clarification. Ayane explained that in Japan there are cases where candy is restricted for children under 3, saying it was a misunderstanding arising from cultural differences. She repeatedly emphasized, "I never meant to say Korean daycare was wrong."
She even tried to clear up the misunderstanding by revealing messages exchanged with the daycare homeroom teacher, but instead faced a backlash saying, "You dragged the teacher into the controversy." In addition, a past YouTube video in which she let her daughter taste a spicy jjambbong meal kit was reexamined, leading to criticism such as, "She emphasized salt-free childrearing but is inconsistent," and, "It feels like double standards."
In the end, Ayane deleted not only the posts related to the daycare but also the apology and the messages with the teacher. It appeared she did so to avoid further fueling the controversy.
But what makes the public response more regrettable is that the couple had long received much support for their affectionate behavior toward each other and their family life. In particular, because they openly shared the in vitro fertilization procedure and pregnancy process and earned sympathy, this controversy felt even larger.
Some have responded that "parenting methods can differ by parent, but the way they are expressed on a public platform needs to be more cautious." Ultimately, some say the important issue was not "salt-free" itself but the gap in tone and empathy that arose in the process of communicating with the public.
[photo] SNS
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