Mother's toxic return in 'The Glory' can be prevented in real life: Justice Ministry

A screen grab of "The Glory" Part 2. (Courtesy of Netflix)

The terrifying return of a mother depicted in Netflix‘s revenge drama “The Glory” can be prevented in real life, as long as the bullied protagonist Moon Dong-eun officially designates her mother as a perpetrator of domestic violence, said South Korea’s Justice Ministry on Friday.

Under the revision of the Act on Registration of Family Relations effective in January 2022, a victim of domestic violence who managed to get away from their family may request that a perpetrator be denied from issuing documents that contain the victim's address, the ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry of Justice, however, did not provide clarity on how victims can prove they have been the targets of domestic violence, and whether such proof is required when making a request under the aforementioned act.

In "The Glory" Part 2, Moon played by actress Song Hye-kyo is dragged down by her mother who returned into her life after 18 years of separation. Moon attempts to seek revenge on wealthy brats who bullied her and forced her out of high school.

Moon's mother Jung Mi-hee, an alcoholic, took settlement money from the school violence perpetrators and was complicit in the cover-up. Fast forward nearly two decades, Jung shows up at Moon's workplace and humiliates her, causing even more trouble. These actions were upon the request of one of the perpetrators who paid Jung another pile of cash.

What enabled Moon's mother to pursue Moon was proof that she was Moon's biological mother.

The drama describes Jung's attempt to go to a ward office and look up Moon's address. Jung attempts to break into Moon's house, only to foiled by the landlady. Several months later, Jung manages to make her way into Moon's house with the help of Park Yeon-jin, one of the characters who bullied Moon.

As they encountered each other inside Moon's house, Jung tells Moon, "Of course, I'm your mom, after all. Blood is thicker than water, you know. Try hide, if you'd like. I'll just find you again."

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)