Broadcaster Lee Young-ja [Newsis]
Broadcaster Lee Young-ja [Newsis]

Broadcaster Lee Young-ja has opened up about neglecting her health in her younger years while chasing financial stability.

In a video posted Sunday to her YouTube channel "Lee Young-ja TV," Lee prepared kimchi ingredients — trimming cabbages she had grown herself along with various other produce — while reflecting on the lifestyle lessons and physical changes she has experienced since moving to the countryside, according to Insight.

Lee encouraged younger generations to try rural living, saying she had started "too late." "If a three-day, four-night stay feels like too much, I'd recommend trying even a five-day, two-night experience in the countryside," she said. "Things that feel like a big deal in the city don't seem like much at all when you're out in nature."

Lee then identified her health as the one area of life that has slipped beyond her control with age. "When I was young, material things, friendships and my relationship with my parents didn't go the way I wanted — but those things tend to sort themselves out as you get older," she told the production crew. "Money, family — they've all fallen into place. The only thing that no longer does what I want is my body."

Describing how even routine movements like running or standing up from a seated position have become a struggle due to knee and leg pain, Lee added, "When I was young, I didn't even notice the pain — I didn't pay attention to it. I overworked my body to save money. Even Steve Jobs couldn't do anything in the face of his health, could he?"


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