Divorced, but still living under her ex-mother-in-law’s thumb? ... Former mother-in-law: “Interfere with the child-rearing and you won’t see the kids” [The Law]

[Financial News]  A story has emerged about a woman in her 40s who left her two daughters with her ex-husband after their divorce and is suffering because her former mother-in-law interferes in everything, using access to the children as leverage.

On the 27th, JTBC’s “Scandal Supervisor” featured the story of Ms. A, a woman in her 40s with two elementary-school-aged daughters.
According to Ms. A, throughout their married life her husband took little interest in childcare, while her in-laws—who especially doted on their first granddaughter—became increasingly interfering. On days when she prepared dinner for the children late, her in-laws scolded her, asking, “What on earth do you do?” After that, they demanded that she take a photo of the dinner table and send it to them every evening. But whenever she and her husband argued, he would tell his parents and take their side.
As the conflict mounted, it eventually led to divorce proceedings. Ms. A wanted to raise her two daughters herself, but her former in-laws persuaded her to leave the children in their care, saying they could never let the children go and would let her see them once a month. Worried about whether she could support herself and raise the two children alone, Ms. A eventually gave her ex-husband parental authority and custody, and has been seeing the children once a month. 
She says her former mother-in-law’s interference continued even after the divorce. When Ms. A thought the children’s clothes looked shabby and bought them coats, her former mother-in-law was displeased, asking, “Why did you buy them without even asking us?” She also took issue with Ms. A giving the children pocket money or taking them out. When Ms. A protested, “Do I have to ask permission for every little thing like this?” her former mother-in-law reportedly accused her of disrespecting them and blocked her number. 
Afterward, whenever a conflict arose, her former mother-in-law reportedly contacted Ms. A’s mother and demanded an apology. Ms. A said, “Sometimes, when Grandma is in a bad mood, she doesn’t contact me but texts my mother and says she’ll let me see the children if I apologize.” She added, “I was afraid I might not be able to see the children again, so I had no choice but to apologize through my ex-husband.”
The children, too, began to worry about how their grandparents would react.  One day, when Ms. A gave them a photo of herself with her two daughters, they handed it back, saying, “Grandma might not like it if she sees this.” They reportedly had to go straight home after school, and even playing with their friends was restricted.

Ms. A asked her ex-husband to make sure the children would not be hurt, but she claims her former in-laws said, in effect, “Why are you interfering when we’re the ones looking after them?” and “If you interfere, we’ll make sure you never see the children again.”
Ms. A said, “Even my ex-husband tells me to sort things out with his parents myself, so I don’t know who to turn to for advice. I’ve started working and am getting on my feet financially, and if possible, I’d like to change the custody arrangement and raise my two daughters myself.”

Attorney Jihoon Park, who heard the account, advised, “It appears that she can apply to the court to change custody. Since this seems to be obstructing her visitation rights, she can ask that they not be interfered with, so it seems necessary to address both issues with help from a professional.”

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