• Headline: A Mother's Love 
• Source: ​Dong-A Ilbo
  
• Date of Publication: May 8, 1971
• Summary: 

It’s often said that a mother’s strength is boundless and her love knows no limits. Today, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, stories of kind and selfless mothers from all across the country warm our hearts. Indeed, when we think about it, every mother embodies something remarkable, noble, and sacred. However, the traditional image of motherhood is undergoing change, and some of these shifts are cause for concern, even dismay. 

In recent years, rising issues such as unwed motherhood and the increase in divorce due to infidelity highlight a troubling trend rooted in growing sexual permissiveness. Some mothers in urban areas, too, have strayed from the virtues of humility and thrift, indulging instead in vanity and luxury, tarnishing the honorable role of motherhood. Yet, despite these challenges, most mothers remain steadfastly diligent, humble, and devoted, preserving virtues of obedience, sacrifice, and service. It is a reminder that a good mother is the foundation of good children, and when all mothers embody such virtues, our nation prospers. 

• Archiving Note:  

Unwed Mothers, the Mothers Who Could Not Be Mothers

This editorial from Dong-A Ilbo exemplifies the tendency to confine women who give birth within marriage to the discourse of motherhood, while those who give birth outside marriage, unwed mothers, are subjected to a process of “de-mothering” or “de-maternalization.” Motherhood, therefore, is portrayed not as a biological status based on childbirth but as a socially constructed identity, dependent on marital status. Furthermore, the editorial unjustly directs criticism of “sexual permissiveness” toward unwed mothers.

CLICK the article below to view the original scanned article as it appeared in print, complete with text and images, on the Naver News Library, which archives Korean newspapers from the 1920s to the 1990s. For easier reading, click “텍스트 보기” (View text) in the top right corner to open a text-only window.

Note: Articles are in Korean, and English translations are not provided in the library.

The English summary and translation of this article is provided by UMI4AA.