A true mother embracing her homosexual son is actress Youn Yuh-jung.
Youn Yuh-jung was asked during an interview on the 18th (local time) with foreign media including Variety in celebration of the release of the movie 'Marriage Story' if she felt connected to the character because her son is gay. In response, she confessed, "My eldest son came out as gay in 2000."
Emerging as an icon of the film industry in the 1970s, Youn Yuh-jung married singer Cho Yong-nam in 1974 and moved to the United States. Naturally, she distanced herself from the entertainment industry while raising two sons, but the couple ended their 13-year marriage with a divorce. Youn Yuh-jung aimed to raise her two sons alone and returned to the entertainment industry, dedicating herself to being both a mother and an actress.
On the other hand, Cho Yong-nam broke the family he built with Youn Yuh-jung due to his infidelity. In a variety show aired in November 2010, he mentioned his ex-wife Youn Yuh-jung, saying, "She was the most wonderful woman I've ever met. One word from her could have ended my life. She covered for me. I think I lived with a great woman for 13 years."
As the sons stood by her in place of their departed father, Youn Yuh-jung cherished and nurtured them, even accepting their different sexual preferences. When same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, she hosted her son's wedding there. In particular, she noted, "Because we were still keeping it a secret in Korea, the whole family came to New York. I don't know how people will react. But now, I love my son-in-law even more than my son."
As this news became known, domestic fans have shown generous support for Youn Yuh-jung. It would have been difficult for a celebrity active in the conservative South Korea to easily acknowledge her son's homosexuality. However, Youn Yuh-jung completely embraced her son not only as an actress but as a mother and candidly shared family stories in an interview that she could have kept hidden for life.
Youn Yuh-jung's love for her sons is well known. In April 2021, when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for 'Minari,' she remarked, "Thanks to my beloved two sons. They made me work. This is the result of a mother working hard."
Youn Yuh-jung is a true actress and mother of this era.
Meanwhile, 'Marriage Story,' featuring Youn Yuh-jung, is said to be a film that depicts the stories of characters growing up in American society grappling with cultural identity and identity as a homosexual while facing familial expectations. It is a modern remake of the 1993 film of the same name by director IAAN, and Korean-American director Andrew Ahn.
[OSEN]