A Korean actor revealed a sad family story, saying he had been out of contact with his mother for a long time after she raised him as a single mom.
On the October 25th episode of SBS variety show My Ugly Duckling, Lee Ho Chul appeared and asked his close friends Bae Jung Nam and Hyun Bong Sik for a favor.
That day, Lee told the two, “Actually, I haven’t contacted my mom in over two years.” He continued, “My mom divorced when I was five and raised me and my younger sister while running a skewer restaurant. She probably didn’t have any savings since she was just trying to make ends meet. It’s not easy for a single woman to raise two kids alone.”
Lee Ho Chul shared, “I then went to live with my grandmother. She wasn’t well off either, so when there was no rice, she’d buy large packs of noodles for us to eat for a week. Because of that, I didn’t eat noodles until my mid-30s.” He added, “I grew up under my grandmother’s care, but when her health worsened, my mom took me back.”
He explained there was a difference in values between him and his mother. “Since my mom raised me alone, I couldn’t go to college and ended up working in a factory. Working at the foundry was really tough. My mom told me to go, but I just couldn’t take it. While other kids worried about which university to attend, who would want to work like I did?”
He went on, “My mom wanted us to earn money together and manage it jointly, but I said I’d save money on my own. That caused a rift between us, and I naturally became independent. To be honest, I was pretty much kicked out.”
Lee Ho Chul said, “Contact was limited to once or twice during holidays. I didn’t really reach out to see her much. I guess I was holding a lot of resentment.” He added, “Recently, when I called, she told me a polyp was found in her colon during a health checkup. It made me worried and I wanted to see her.”
He also said, “Since I came to Daegu, I want to see her, and I’d appreciate it if my brothers could come with me.” The three then stopped by a flower shop, bought flowers, and prepared to meet Lee’s mother.