Amid controversy over Song Joong Ki’s remark about career hiatus, netizens summon confessions of “working mom” actresses
Korean netizens re-examined what actresses talked about suffering career interruptions due to marriage and childbirth.
Song Joong Ki is under fire due to his remark in a recent interview with the Chinese media Sina about actors when getting married and having children.
When asked about his feeling when achieving two good news about his movie “Hopeless” and his child at the same time, Song Joong Ki said, “Sometimes, being a father, being a husband, means lost a job in this showing business”, adding “It seems that getting married and having a baby may gradually make me lose many projects. However, I’m not afraid of that. I don’t care about such things. Family is always more important than work. But I love my work, and I always strive for both myself and my family.”
This remark, said by a top male star Song Joong Ki, who received support even after his marriage, divorce, premarital pregnancy, remarriage and childbirth, sparked controversy. Many netizens criticized the actor, pointing out that women experience career interruptions due to marriage, childbirth, and childcare but never complain a little bit. However, some believe that the actor was just giving his honest personal opinion.
In this situation, netizens brought up remarks of female stars who suffered crises of hiatus due to marriage, childbirth, and childcare. Many of them took a long time to return and some also confessed about their fear of job loss.
Actress Oh Yeon Soo married Son Ji Chang in 1998. Appearing on a program last year, she talked about her seven-year hiatus in the U.S. to take care of her son, saying “If I had been worried about career interruption, I wouldn’t have gone there”. She added, “Honestly, I initially planned to stay there for only two years. But I couldn’t leave my children behind so it ended up becoming 7 years”. Last year, she made a powerful comeback in tvN’s drama “Military Prosecutor Doberman” and showed her charisma.
So Yoo Jin also became a mother of three children after marrying Chief Baek Jong Won in 2013. Appearing in an MBN program in 2020, she shared her concerns as a mother and an actress. She confessed, “People don’t call me an actress with career interruption. Even after I gave birth to my third child, I still received drama casting offers and even won an award. I couldn’t help crying because I felt so thankful that they let me work again.”
Having similar experiences, Han Ji Hye, who married a prosecutor in 2010, and Jeon In Hwa, who married actor Yoo Dong Geun in 1989, empathized with this. In particular, Han Ji Hye revealed, “I also took a break for about two and a half years and when I came back, my appearance fee was significantly reduced.” At this, So Yu Jin responded, “If you have a child, it will be further reduced”. “It was really difficult to start over”, Han Ji Hye also said, adding that there are some directors who have preconceived notions.
Meanwhile, Jeon In Hwa mentioned that she took a break for 7 years after “Ladies of the Palace”, which was the peak of her acting career, to take care of her family. “When I made a comeback with ‘Bread, Love and Dreams’, I had a lot of doubts about whether I could do well”, she confessed, but encouraged her junior colleagues, saying that opportunities will come.
Hallyu star Lee Young Ae is no exception. After getting married in 2009 and becoming a mother of twins, Lee Young Ae made a comeback with the 2017 SBS drama “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors”. At the comeback press conference, Lee Young Ae mentioned that she negotiated conditions to be able to combine her roles as a mother and wife while filming. This statement of hers received empathy from many working mothers.
Finally, Park Ha Sun, who married actor Ryu Soo Young in 2017, also expressed the difficulties of a career hiatus. In particular, the actress mentioned that she took a break for 4 years, and revealed that there are actors who declare themselves as unmarried even though they are married.
According to the actress, even though a married woman would understand a character who has a son better, some directors insisted on casting unmarried actresses. She also mentioned that her emotions became richer after marriage and childbirth, saying, “Marriage and childbirth can be valuable experiences for actresses. I hope people can let go of their prejudices and recognize that fact.”
Source: Naver
