사진 확대 ‘Special World.’ Photo | MBN
Comedian Bae Young-man, 66, opened up about the pain of his family falling apart after the sudden death of his young daughter.
The MBN cultural affairs program ‘Special World,’ which aired on the 3rd, featured Bae Young-man discussing his divorce more than 20 years ago.
Bae Young-man recalled, “I received a phone call. It was from a major hospital in Ilsan New Town, and my wife had collapsed.” He continued, “When I got to the hospital, she was lying in the emergency room, and they told me the baby had arrived dead.”
He went on to describe the shock of losing his young daughter, saying, “They told me that the daughter who had been smiling brightly that morning had died.”
His daughter’s sudden death left deep wounds for both Bae Young-man and his former wife. “From then on, the conflict became extremely severe. She was suffering so much that she could no longer maintain family life. It was incredibly difficult. It was very difficult for me, too,” he said. “Losing that one child caused the entire family to fall apart.”
사진 확대 ‘Special World.’ Photo | MBN
The two eventually divorced after the tragedy. Bae Young-man added, “Looking back, I should have embraced her and moved forward together, but I couldn’t.” He continued, “Being together was too painful, so we had no choice but to go our separate ways.”
Bae Young-man also explained, “I ended up taking full responsibility for raising the children,” saying that he raised his three children alone for about 20 years after the divorce. His daughter is now married, while his youngest child has found a job and is living in a company dormitory.
He also revealed his conflict with his eldest son. Bae Young-man said he had been particularly strict with his eldest son because he wanted his children, above all, to succeed. As a result, he grew distant from his son and even cut off contact for a while after a major argument three years ago.
After reconciling with his son, Bae Young-man opened up: “Why do you think your father raised all three of you to the very end without abandoning you? It’s because I felt I couldn’t live without you. I never considered it a hardship; I made it this far by looking at you,” he said. “I suppose that’s why I nagged so much.”
He also expressed regret, saying that he had thought berating his son was “an expression of love, but it wasn’t.”
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.