2018.10.14 11:27
Attorney Kim Yewon made headlines after attending a public forum and courtroom appearances with her roughly 100-day-old baby in tow. Judges and colleagues were reportedly surprised — sometimes asking why she was there — but Kim explains she had little choice: as a public-interest lawyer representing criminal victims, court dates are set around clients and cannot easily be postponed, and self-employed lawyers lack the social protections that would make leave or childcare feasible. In practice she balances short courtroom appearances, quieting her child between statements, and leaving more intensive parts like witness examinations to times when childcare is available.
Her experience highlights broader gaps in Korea’s childcare and labor systems. Although some public childcare programs list preferences for larger families, caregiver matching often leaves those households underserved because individual providers can refuse assignments; the result is long waits or effectively having to give up. Kim points to the need for both reliable institutional childcare (similar to France’s crèche system) and stronger income supports so families and parents can meaningfully choose whether to work or provide full-time care without facing economic ruin.
Beyond her personal story, Kim founded and runs the Disability Rights Law Center, providing legal aid to people whose rights were violated because of disability — especially those with little or no support network, including disabled children, women, and people with developmental or mental disabilities. Her practice combines individual representation in sexual-violence and abuse cases with advocacy for systemic reform to remove institutional barriers, and she calls for more responsible media language and policies that protect victims while expanding real choices for working parents.
Original source: “판사님들이 ‘어떤 일로 오셨냐’ 물어요”… 아기 안고 법정 출석 김예원 변호사 인터뷰 일문일답 (Source: the news outlet; please refer to the original article.)
