Actor Yoon So-i. [Hooners Entertainment]
Actor Yoon So-i. [Hooners Entertainment]

Actor Yoon So-i has revealed that she is running a grilled-fish "baekban" restaurant in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, rather than pursuing acting. Yoon said she has not given up on acting entirely and would return to the screen if the opportunity arose, while also opening up about the practical concerns of raising two children that led her to the restaurant business.

Yoon disclosed Monday that she was running the grilled-fish set-meal restaurant, speaking through a YouTube channel run by fellow actor Han Chae-a.

Having made the transition from actor to restaurant owner, Yoon said she chose to build her new venture around the food she knows best.

"The thing I'm most confident about is baekban — the kind of everyday home-style meal I've eaten a lot of," she said. "I chose a menu based on food I've been familiar with since childhood."

Yoon said a wood-fired oven she built herself reaches temperatures of up to 500 degrees Celsius, producing fish grilled at intense heat. Han, after tasting it, said, "It's definitely different from fish grilled at home."

Despite running the restaurant, Yoon made clear she has not walked away from acting.

When asked about her future in the industry, she spoke candidly about the difficulties actors are experiencing in the current market.

"The market has gotten so bad that there are more than a few actresses waiting for their turn," she said. "If the market and conditions improve even a little, I want to go out and take any opportunity that comes."

On why she chose to run a restaurant rather than act, Yoon pointed to the practical realities of being a mother of two.

"I have children to raise, so I do what I can from where I am — and if someone calls, I'll go right away," she said.

Yoon also mentioned that she recently filmed a short-form drama series. "It had been a while, but my body still remembered how to act," she said. "After having children, the fear I used to feel when performing disappeared, and my expressions became bolder."

Yoon made her debut in the 2004 film "Arahan," going on to appear in numerous drama series including "Say You Love Me," "Goodbye Solo," "Glass Castle," "Warrior Baek Dong-soo" and "Iris 2." She married musical actor Jo Seong-yun in 2017 and has one daughter.


yeonjoo7@heraldcorp.com