Television personality Sayuri Fujita apologized after admitting she asked her son’s kindergarten teacher not to assign him homework, saying she would reflect on her parenting approach.

“I have no excuse. I will take in the concerns and criticism you’ve shared and make changes,” Fujita said in a video posted to her YouTube channel on Tuesday.


“I’m truly sorry,” she continued. “I never expected this to happen. I didn’t think carefully about the kindergarten’s rules, but this has been an opportunity to learn.”

Fujita also acknowledged the importance of discipline as her son, Zen, approaches school age.

“He will enter elementary school in two years, so at five years old, he needs to understand rules clearly,” she said. “When I was young, I also didn’t do my homework and didn’t care about rules. I don’t want him to turn out like me. I want him to live a better life, grow into a good person and learn a lot.”

She went on to say, “It’s been a long time since I caused such a big problem. It’s my fault, and I am reflecting on it.”

The controversy began when Fujita recently revealed on actor Jang Young-ran’s YouTube channel that she had written a letter to her son’s teacher stating: “My son will never do homework, and I also oppose doing homework at his age. I am proud of him for not doing homework, so please do not send him any assignments.”

Zen, now five years old, reportedly speaks five languages — Korean, Japanese, English, Chinese and Spanish. Fujita explained that her intention was to prevent homework from diminishing his natural curiosity for languages.

“If he is forced, his curiosity might fade and eventually lose interest,” she said.

Online reactions were divided. Some comments praised her unconventional approach, saying, “It’s a fresh method; forcing children is not good.” But critics argued, “If that’s the case, try homeschooling,” “This disregards the teacher’s curriculum” and “It robs a child of the chance to learn discipline.”

Fujita gave birth to Zen in Tokyo in November 2020 via in vitro fertilization with donated sperm, despite not being married. She later appeared on the KBS reality show “The Return of Superman” (2013-), sparking public debate in Korea about single motherhood and nontraditional family structures.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]