Why is 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way's Jihoon's low income not enough to make a living? Viewers are slowly turning against the reality star since he shows little to no effort in providing a safe place for his family.
Fan favorites Jihoon Lee and Deavan Clegg have returned but are having trouble in paradise. The couple has had a lot of changes with acclimating to married life, having a family of four, and a recent heartbreaking miscarriage. Fans are so excited to see that Deavan and Jihoon's story continues. Deavan has once again left everything to come to Korea to be with her husband after the birth of their baby, Taeyang. Deavan was expecting to live with her new husband and her two children in their own home; however, she was surprised to find out that she would be staying with her in-laws.
TLC fans are disappointed with Jihoon for being unprepared for his wife, Deavan, and his children's arrival in Korea. Deavan's mother made it clear to cameras that he should have his own home, a steady job, and a savings account by his age. However, that is not necessarily the custom in Korea, implying that Jihoon isn’t lazy according to Korean standards. To many American viewers, $2,000 a month seems like an amount that one could make ends meet with. But, in South Korea, the price of housing is extremely high. During Monday’s, all-new episode of 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way fans watched as the couple reached their breaking point. Leaving Jihoon to say, "Game over" about their relationship. The young Korean dropped a selfish bomb on his wife that he chose to work part-time so he could take naps when he pleased. Deavan was appalled at this revelation and rightfully felt she had given up everything to support their family. Jihoon even acknowledges that he was no good with money and for the last four months he had been giving his paycheck to his mother. He had saved up money but never offered any help to his wife financially.
Jihoon is still not motivated to take care of his growing family. Many fans believed Jihoon was merely lazy with no motivation to take care of his two children or American wife. In defense of Jihoon, Deavan had no idea or knowledge of how things worked in South Korea but expected situations to go as they would in America. Many agreed with Deavan’s mother when she told cameras that 30-year-old Jihoon should have life savings and a home by his age. However, what American audiences failed to realize was that it was a very unrealistic expectation in South Korea.
Living in South Korea, it is not easy for the younger generation to get on the property ladder. Most Koreans live with multiple generations in one household. Grandparents, parents, and children stay under the same roof until they get married or their mid-30’s when hopefully, they have a decent job. Most of the population lives in high-rise apartment buildings. To rent, a Korean must put a large down payment that can be as low as $10,000 but as high as six figures. The actual rent can also be as high as a couple of thousand dollars a month. Jihoon’s job by definition is a zero-hour contract job. A zero-hour contract is where the employer is not obliged to provide any minimum working hours, while the worker is not obliged to accept any work offered. In Korea, there are two types of jobs, which are usually translated into English as full-time jobs and part-time jobs. The term full-time job refers to salaried positions.
Sadly, what the reality star earns currently on average is not enough to provide for his growing family. In all reality, Jihoon should let the idea of "me time" go and pick up more shifts but he does not seem interested. Even if it means losing Deavan for good.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs Mondays at 9pm EST on TLC.