On the December 8 episode of KBS 2TV’s Let’s Live Together, veteran actress Hwang Seok-jeong shared a deeply personal and painful story about her family: losing her older sister in a drowning accident before Hwang was even born.
Appearing alongside fellow actresses Park Won-sook, Hong Jin-hee and Hye Eun-i at a hot spring for the show’s 238th episode, Hwang revealed, “I don’t know how to swim, and neither does anyone in my family. We all avoid water.”
He explained the reason for this long-standing aversion: “There was my older sister… but when my father was sent to Vietnam, he went into the water near our house and didn’t come out. That was before I was born.”
The trauma left a lasting scar on his family. Hwang continued, “When my father came home and saw that his daughter was gone, he cried and drank all the time.”
Her mother, devastated by the loss, prayed every day for another daughter. “He prayed, ‘Please, even if she’s not pretty, just give me another daughter.’ And then I was born. After that my father stopped crying and became very affectionate towards me.”
Hwang Seok-jeong is a respected South Korean actress known for her versatile roles in television, film and theater. A graduate of the prestigious Seoul National University, she has broken the mold of typical celebrity backgrounds with her academic credentials and sharp wit.
While not always in lead roles, Hwang has consistently made strong impressions with his unique screen presence and comedic timing. She has been widely recognized for her supporting roles in popular dramas such as My Girl, Secret Garden, She Was Pretty, and Misaeng. In My Girl (2005), she played a minor but memorable role that showcased her talent for quirky, scene-stealing characters.
Let’s Live Together airs every Monday at 8:30 PM KST and follows the lives of middle-aged female stars as they share a home, life stories and emotional journeys together.
Sources: Daum
