Veteran actresses reflect on pressure to publicly address divorce, breakups

Veteran actresses Lee Hye-young and Kim Jung-eun recalled the pressure Korean celebrities once faced to publicly address divorce and breakups. In a video on Lee’s YouTube channel, Lee said she held a news conference after divorcing singer and TV personality Lee Sang-min before returning to Heroine 6. Kim said she tearfully discussed her 2008 breakup with actor Lee Seo-jin on Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate because reporters were waiting outside. Both said celebrities today have more privacy.

Lee said about 300 to 400 reporters attended the news conference she held after her divorce.

She said the entertainment department head told her to apologize and make a statement before returning to Heroine 6.

Kim Jung-eun and Lee Seo-jin dated after appearing together in the 2006 SBS drama Lovers and broke up in November 2008.

Kim said she was hosting the SBS music program Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate when she discussed the breakup on television.

Published Sep 22, 2026 12:05 am KST

Lee Hye-young, left, and Kim Jung-eun / Captured from Lee's YouTube channel

Veteran actresses Lee Hye-young and Kim Jung-eun have recalled an era when Korean celebrities faced intense pressure to publicly explain even the most personal parts of their lives, including divorce and breakups.

The two actresses discussed their experiences in a video uploaded Sunday to Lee's YouTube channel, reflecting on how dramatically expectations surrounding celebrities' private lives have changed.

Lee recalled holding a news conference after her divorce from singer and television personality Lee Sang-min, saying she was effectively pushed into publicly addressing the matter before returning to television.

"I got divorced for personal reasons and was going back on 'Heroine 6,'" Lee said. "The head of our entertainment department told me, 'Hye-young, this is something you'll have to get through eventually, so while everyone is here, let's just apologize.' He told me to apologize and make a statement."

What followed was far bigger than Lee had expected.

"I didn't know there were that many reporters in Korea," she said. "About 300 or 400 came."

Lee said she went through with the news conference because she felt her return to the program depended on addressing the divorce publicly.

Lee Hye-young / Captured from Lee's YouTube channel

Kim said the pressure was intensified by knowing that other cast members and production staff were waiting for the situation to be resolved.

"Other guests, MCs and the program itself were all waiting because of you ... That must have been enormous pressure" Kim told Lee.

Kim described the atmosphere as one in which celebrities felt compelled to step forward rather than allow their personal problems to disrupt a production.

Kim Jung-eun / Captured from Lee Hye-young's YouTube channel

The conversation turned to Kim's own experience after her highly publicized breakup with actor Lee Seo-jin in 2008.

Kim and Lee developed a romantic relationship after appearing together in the 2006 SBS drama "Lovers." Their relationship lasted about two years before they broke up in November 2008.

At the time, Kim was hosting the SBS music program "Kim Jung-eun's Chocolate." Shortly after the breakup, she tearfully spoke about it on the show.

Nearly two decades later, Kim said she had not wanted to discuss the breakup on television.

"I didn't want to mention it on 'Chocolate,'" she said.

But reporters were waiting outside, she recalled, and she felt that refusing to address the breakup would create problems for others.

"It was a situation where things would become difficult if I didn't make a statement," Kim said. "Looking back, it really didn't make sense. I could have just left, and I didn't have to say anything."

Lee agreed, saying celebrities at the time faced very different expectations.

"Back then, it was an era when something would happen if you didn't make a statement," she said.

Lee pointed out the irony of having to publicly explain the end of an ordinary romantic relationship.

"They weren't even married. They just dated for a while and broke up," she said. "People date, break up, meet someone else and fall in love. That's life."

The actresses contrasted those experiences with the greater privacy celebrities can have today.

"Idols these days don't have to do that, do they?" Lee said. "We paved the way for them."

Their recollections highlight how expectations surrounding celebrity privacy in Korea have shifted since the 2000s, when stars could face intense media scrutiny and pressure to publicly address personal relationships that today might remain largely private matters.

This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

资深女演员李慧英和金廷恩回忆起韩国艺人过去面临的压力，他们不得不公开谈论离婚和分手。李慧英在自己的YouTube频道上发布了一段视频，视频中她提到，在与歌手兼电视名人李尚民离婚后，她曾召开新闻发布会，之后才重返电视剧《女主角6》。金廷恩则表示，2008年她与演员李瑞镇分手后，因为有记者在场外等候，她曾在自己的脱口秀节目《金廷恩的巧克力》中泪流满面地谈及此事。两人都认为，如今的艺人拥有更多的隐私。

李女士表示，在她离婚后举行的新闻发布会上，大约有300至400名记者出席。

她说娱乐部门主管告诉她，在返回《女英雄6》剧组之前，必须先道歉并发表声明。

金廷恩和李瑞镇在2006年共同出演SBS电视剧《恋人》后开始交往，并于2008年11月分手。

金正恩表示，她在主持SBS音乐节目《金正恩的巧克力》时，在电视上谈到了分手一事。

发布于2026年9月22日凌晨12:05（韩国标准时间）

左为李慧英，右为金正恩 / 图片来自李慧英的YouTube频道

资深女演员李慧英和金廷恩回忆起，过去韩国明星面临着巨大的压力，不得不公开解释他们生活中最私密的部分，包括离婚和分手。

周日，两位女演员在李的 YouTube 频道上传了一段视频，讨论了她们的经历，并反思了围绕名人私生活的期望发生了多么巨大的变化。

李回忆起与歌手兼电视名人李尚敏离婚后召开新闻发布会的情景，称她是被迫公开谈论此事，之后才重返电视荧屏。

李慧英说：“我因为个人原因离婚了，当时正准备回归《女英雄6》剧组。我们娱乐部门的负责人对我说：‘慧英，这是你迟早都要面对的事情，所以趁大家都在，我们先道个歉吧。’他让我道歉并发表声明。”

接下来发生的事情远远超出了李的预期。

“我不知道韩国有这么多记者，”她说。“大概来了三四百人。”

李表示，她之所以坚持召开新闻发布会，是因为她觉得能否重返节目取决于她是否公开谈论离婚一事。

李慧英 / 图片来自李慧英的YouTube频道

金表示，得知其他演员和制作人员都在等待事态解决，让她倍感压力。

“其他嘉宾、主持人以及节目组都在等着你……那一定压力很大吧。”金对李说。

金形容当时的氛围是，名人感到有义务站出来解决问题，而不是让自己的个人问题干扰制作。

金正恩 / 图片来自李慧英的YouTube频道

谈话转向了金在2008年与演员李瑞镇高调分手后的个人经历。

金和李在2006年共同出演SBS电视剧《恋人》后发展出恋情。他们的恋情持续了大约两年，于2008年11月分手。

当时，金正恩正在主持SBS音乐节目《金正恩的巧克力》。分手后不久，她在节目中泪流满面地谈到了这件事。

近二十年后，金·卡戴珊表示，她当时并不想在电视上谈论分手一事。

“我不想在《巧克力》这部电影里提到这件事，”她说。

她回忆说，当时有记者在外面等着，她觉得拒绝谈论分手这件事会给其他人带来麻烦。

“如果我不发表声明，事情就会变得很棘手，”金说。“现在回想起来，我当时的做法真的很没道理。我完全可以离开，什么都不用说。”

李表示赞同，并指出当时的明星面临着与现在截然不同的期望。

“那时候，如果你不发表声明，就会发生一些不好的事情，”她说。

李指出，不得不公开解释一段普通恋爱关系的结束，这本身就具有讽刺意味。

“他们甚至都没结婚。他们只是交往了一段时间就分手了，”她说。“人们会交往，分手，然后遇到其他人，坠入爱河。这就是生活。”

这些女演员将她们过去的经历与如今名人享有的更大隐私进行了对比。

“现在的偶像不需要那样做，对吧？”李说。“我们为他们铺平了道路。”

他们的回忆凸显了自 2000 年代以来韩国公众对名人隐私的期望发生了怎样的变化。当时，明星们可能会面临媒体的密切关注和压力，被迫公开谈论个人关系，而如今这些关系可能在很大程度上仍属于私人事务。

本文原载于 Xportsnews，经人工智能生成系统改编，并由《韩国时报》编辑。