Comedian Jung Sun-hee revisited the painful period of rumors and harsh criticism surrounding her life through a book, shocking viewers with her candor.
On the 25th, a video featuring Jung Sun-hee was posted on model and TV personality Hong Jin-kyung's YouTube channel. In the clip, Jung discussed books with Hong and finally voiced thoughts she had kept buried for years.
Jung introduced Natsume Soseki's novel 'Kokoro' ('Heart'). Speaking about a character's choices and attitude, she said, "None of the judgments sat right with me, and I really hated them," adding, "I also disliked how they made that choice and then shifted responsibility to those left behind. I thought the character deserved criticism."
But after closing the book, a different question lingered. "It felt like the book was asking, 'Would you really be any different?'" Jung admitted. "I believe I could choose differently, but those ugly feelings still surge inside me from time to time. I can't confidently say I'm any different from that character."
Her confession naturally turned to past pain. "Back then, I resented the world so much. I disliked people to the point I could have cursed them," she recalled. She continued, "I was angry at how cruelly they dissected and dug into one person's tragedy, and how profoundly unkind they could be to someone else's life." Jung married actor Ahn Jae-hwan in 2007 but was widowed the following year. After his death, she was swept up in rumors and suspicions, forcing her to halt broadcast activities.
Jung said one of the hardest parts was "the moment the boundaries blurred." "As time went by, instead of drawing a clear line against the things people said were my fault, those boundaries disappeared," she confessed. "I even started thinking, 'Was it actually because of me?'" She added, "I needed to objectify it and put it up on a shelf, but my grief turned into self-blame, and I felt like I was stuck in a swamp, not knowing what to do." She then offered advice to anyone going through something similar: "Drawing that line is really important."