Broadcaster Jeong Seon-hee, 54, has opened up about the pain she endured after losing her husband, the late actor Ahn Jae-hwan.
Jeong appeared Friday on the KBS 2TV variety program "Okdabang-ui Munje-a" and spoke about how she felt when a torrent of online abuse was directed at her following Ahn's death.
"It felt like the world was burying me alive," she said. "The hate comments poured in with the feeling that South Korea would not allow Jeong Seon-hee to live in this country."
Pushed to what she described as a cliff's edge she could barely endure, Jeong said she confided in her close friend, comedian Lee Kyung-sil. "Unni, I can't take it anymore. This is a fight I can't win. I'm going to raise the white flag," she told Lee.
Lee's response was disarmingly simple: "They're just working hard at their thing. You work hard at yours."
"Those words were simple, but they cleared my head," Jeong said, adding that the seemingly offhand advice gave her real strength and stayed with her for a long time.
Lee had quietly rolled up her sleeves to help Jeong when she was financially cornered after her husband's death, saddled with roughly 7.85 billion won ($5.6 million) in private loans. When Jeong could not bring herself to ask those around her for help, Lee collected donations from fellow broadcasters and passed the money to her. Jeong mentioned the episode on a separate program months ago, saying, "The sense of responsibility to pay that money back kept me alive for several more years. Those friends saved me. I want to take this opportunity to thank them again."
Jeong married actor Ahn Jae-hwan in 2007, only to lose him the following year. Ahn was found dead inside a vehicle parked in a residential area of Nowon-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 8, 2008. He was 36. Police found a note at the scene and closed the investigation, ruling his cause of death as carbon monoxide poisoning.
After Ahn's death, the substantial debts he had been carrying came to light. Jeong was left with 7.85 billion won in private loans — with a principal of 3 billion won — and suffered serious financial hardship, including losing her home to a court auction.
paq@heraldcorp.com
