Yeo Esther and Hong Hye-geol. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]
Yeo Esther and Hong Hye-geol. [Herald POP (now Herald Muse)]

Yeo Esther, a physician and entrepreneur, has revealed that she broke off an engagement six months before her planned wedding.

On Saturday, Yeo posted a video titled "Human Theater: My Wife's Summer Vacation, Ep. 2" on her YouTube channel.

While discussing marriage in the video, Yeo advised viewers to "marry someone who is happier with you than alone," then opened up about a past relationship.

"I was in a campus couple relationship while attending Seoul National University's College of Medicine, and we got engaged when we graduated," she said. "But as the wedding date approached, I felt a tightening in my chest. I thought I shouldn't go through with the marriage."

Yeo said she called off the engagement six months before the ceremony because she had not been certain about the relationship. "He couldn't understand why a woman would need multiple pairs of shoes, and he was the type who expected soup on the table every morning after marriage," she said.

Her husband, Hong Hye-geol, who was listening, said the decision was no small thing. "That's easier said than done — it's truly remarkable. Calling off an engagement six months before the wedding is no small thing. Thank goodness you did," he said.

Yeo went on to describe how she eventually met Hong. "After that, I spent three years doing my residency on my own, and in the fourth year I met Dr. Hong," she said. "He is fundamentally a kind and sincere person. His family are all wonderful people, and that is why I married him."

Yeo and Hong married in 1994 and have two sons together.


choigo@heraldcorp.com