Actor Lee Dong-gun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]
Actor Lee Dong-gun. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse) via The Korea Herald]

Actor Lee Dong-gun has shared his thoughts on joining JTBC's "Divorce Contemplation Camp" as a new family court investigator.

The show released Lee's comments ahead of his debut Thursday, when the program airs at 10 p.m.

Lee said he agonized deeply over the offer before accepting it.

"I was pleasantly surprised because it's a show I've always liked and watched, but I had serious doubts about whether I was in any position to criticize or advise people going through the pain of a potential divorce — given that I've been through the same thing myself — and about how that would come across," he said.

He then said he ultimately decided to take part with a different mindset. "I thought, why not try playing a role where I stand on the participants' side, offering empathy and understanding as someone who has actually been through it," he said.

Lee added that he hopes his personal experience will make his presence feel more genuine. "I want to empathize more deeply with the participants' situations and concerns through what I've been through myself, and I hope my advice comes across as more personal and sincere to them," he said.

He also said he was surprised by what he encountered during filming. "I half-expected some things might be exaggerated, given how shocking some of the stories are, but they were all real — no dramatization," he said. "I was particularly struck by how sunbae Seo Jang-hoon would shout so intensely during every shoot that his voice would go hoarse."

Lee closed with a message of respect for the show's participants. "Rather than being trapped in a world seen only through two people's eyes, making the effort to look at problems objectively and seek empathy and advice from others is something that deserves applause in itself. That is why I admire the courage of every participant," he said.

Lee's first episode of "Divorce Contemplation Camp" airs Thursday.

Meanwhile, Jin Tae-hyun had served on the show for two years since 2024, acting as the husband-side family court investigator and an assistant in couples' psychodrama sessions. His sudden departure was announced last April, and he later revealed through his manager that he had been notified of the decision unilaterally, drawing widespread criticism of the production team's handling of the matter. The backlash intensified after his final episode, which aired July 16, passed without so much as a farewell — his exit acknowledged only with a text caption on screen.


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