Go Hyun Jung, one of Korea’s most beloved actresses, opened up about her career-defining drama Sandglass, her decision to retire after marriage, and the emotional challenges she faced following her divorce. The actress shared her personal journey during an appearance on the November 27th episode of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block.
Talking about her life, Go Hyun Jung revealed that she once had dreams beyond acting. “Around the time I graduated from college, my younger sibling was studying abroad. I wanted to save money and go abroad to study photography. Back then, I felt like I didn’t fit here. I thought, ‘I’ll work hard for now, but eventually, I’ll leave to study with my sibling,'” she shared.
However, falling in love changed everything. “I had no idea how fun dating could be. I went all in. I couldn’t think about anything else—I was completely swept up in it. I still can’t forget that feeling. I’d stay up all night and still go to work, feeling like everything in the world was going my way,” she confessed.
Despite the massive success of Sandglass, which became a cultural phenomenon, Go Hyun Jung chose to retire after her marriage. “‘Sandglass’ created a social syndrome, but it coincided with a time when I was closing one chapter of my life and starting another. A few years after I got married, I met some Korean Americans who told me how they watched ‘Sandglass’ on tape, and afterward, I cried a lot, alone. I realized I’d been loved so much thanks to that project, but I hadn’t appreciated it at the time. Losing that hit me hard years later, like an unfillable void,” she admitted.
She further elaborated, “I was dating while filming ‘Sandglass,’ and I started to see acting as something that interfered with my relationship. I thought, ‘I’m going to quit acting after I get married anyway.’ When the drama aired, the response was overwhelming—something an actor rarely gets to experience in their lifetime. But I didn’t realize how precious it was and didn’t want to feel it,” she added.
In 1995, Go Hyun Jung married Shinsegae Group’s Jeong Yong Jin but shocked fans when she announced their divorce in 2003. The couple shares two children, a son and a daughter.
Reflecting on her relationship with her children, Go Hyun Jung said tearfully, “A lot of people wonder if I see my kids or not. One thing I can say is that a mother needs to be at peace. But when I felt a sense of detachment (between parent and their kids), I had no idea how painful it would be. That sadness is overwhelming. It’s something that can’t be filled because it’s gone. It hurt me deeply.”
She addressed how her public presence on YouTube and Instagram is often linked to her children. “There are many who feel sorry for me because of how they connect my social media presence to my kids. But I don’t want to be a burden to them. I just want to show them that their mom is living cheerfully and doing her best. I also want to give back the love I’ve received from the public,” she expressed.
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