Park Won-sook gifts granddaughter apartment and car to make up for lost time with late son

Actress Park Won-sook revealed that her regrets over not being able to do enough for her late son have transformed into a deep affection for her only granddaughter. Her decision to provide not only tuition and school fees but also a studio apartment in Yongsan and a car was rooted in a long-held desire to express the love she couldn't fully convey to her son, who passed away before her.

In the episode titled "Actress Park Won-sook, Episode 4 (The Unbearably Difficult Trials of Life...)" released on the YouTube channel "Song Seung-hwan's Wonderful Life" on the 15th, Park spoke about her son and granddaughter, which are among the most painful memories of her life.

On this day, Park revealed that she has not only supported her granddaughter's educational expenses but has also provided her with living space and a vehicle. She stated that even though her granddaughter received scholarships due to her excellent academic performance, she covered all tuition and school fees, provided a studio apartment in Yongsan, and even gifted her a nice car suitable for her age.

Her active support for her granddaughter stems from unfinished emotions regarding her son.

"It remains a heartbreak and a regret that I thought I shouldn't give my child too many material things in the name of educating him," Park said. She confessed that her decision to restrain material support in an effort to raise her child correctly became an irreversible regret after her son suddenly passed away.

She continued, "I am doing for my granddaughter what I couldn't do for my son," adding, "Even though my granddaughter received scholarships for studying well, I gave her all the tuition and school fees. In addition, I provided a studio apartment in Yongsan and bought her a nice car appropriate for her age."

Rather than the concept of pre-emptively gifting assets to her granddaughter, Park placed importance on expressing her love directly while she is still alive. She explained, "Given my age, I don't know when or how things will happen. My health hasn't been good either. If I give it to my granddaughter after I pass away, it is an inheritance, but if I give it while I am alive, isn't it a gift? That is why I gave it to her with a comfortable heart."

This contains the sentiment of "belated love" that Park has held for a long time. Rather than leaving the feelings she couldn't fully express to her son as a posthumous inheritance, she wants to deliver them directly to her granddaughter while she is still living.

For Park, the event of losing her son is not just a simple family history. In 2003, she experienced the tragedy of losing her only son due to a car accident. For parents, the death of a child is a loss that is difficult to completely erase simply through the passage of time, and especially when a child passes away first, memories and regrets tend to overlap for the remaining family for a long time.

An even more heartbreaking part is the fact that she lived apart from her granddaughter for a long period after losing her son. As her daughter-in-law remarried, contact with her granddaughter, who was an elementary school student at the time, was severed, and Park could not closely watch her granddaughter's growth process.

The relationship between the two was reconnected in 2021. After a long period of disconnection, contact was made, Park reunited with her granddaughter, and they have been gradually restoring their relationship since then.

In the 2024 KBS 2TV show "Park Won-sook's Live Together," interest was drawn as Park's appearance reuniting with her granddaughter, who has become a college student, was revealed. At the time, Park cautiously explained the past disconnection, saying, "Due to the affairs of adults and certain circumstances, I was separated from my granddaughter."

Recalling the time she could not see her granddaughter, she said, "When I couldn't see her, I thought I probably wouldn't see her anymore and hoped she would do well in her new life." This means that rather than directly intervening in her granddaughter's life, she waited with the hope of wishing for her future within the scope of what she could do.

After such a long time had passed, the sadness of losing her son and the time she missed with her granddaughter overlapped for Park.

At the time, Park stated, "I am so happy to meet her again while I can as a grandmother," and added, "I regretted that my son left so suddenly when I hadn't done anything for him. I am so grateful that I can fulfill my regrets by doing everything for my granddaughter that I couldn't do for my son."

This statement is an extension of that. If one were to look only at the act of providing a studio apartment and a car to her granddaughter, it could be seen as significant economic support, but for Park, it holds a meaning far beyond that. The fact that she can be with her granddaughter while she is still alive is a symbol of the restored family relationship after years of separation.

In particular, Park's expression that "giving it while alive is a gift" encapsulates her family values. Rather than leaving assets behind after death, she wants to see her granddaughter enjoy them in person. This reflects a perspective that prioritizes time and relationships over mere economic value.

As an actress, Park has been a pillar of Korean popular culture for a long time. Since the 1970s, she has worked across dramas, films, and variety shows, building a reputation as a veteran actress known for strong female characters and relatable roles. Simultaneously, she has navigated a turbulent personal life involving divorce, the death of her child, and family estrangement.

While her family history has been shared on broadcasts several times, the process of reconnecting with her granddaughter after losing her son remains a pivotal chapter in her life story. Although lost time cannot be recovered, she is embracing her past regrets and losses through her present relationship with her granddaughter.

Of course, her support for her granddaughter cannot be simplified solely as an act of "making up" for her son. The granddaughter is an individual with her own independent life and choices, and Park's support should be viewed as an expression of love and responsibility within that relationship. However, given that Park herself described it as "doing for her granddaughter what she couldn't do for her son," these gifts carry a deeply personal narrative that goes beyond typical grandparental affection.

Ultimately, what Park has given her granddaughter is more than just a studio apartment or a car. It is a way of holding onto the present—addressing the regrets from a relationship severed 20 years ago, bridging the gap of years spent apart, and reclaiming the family time that was so hard to rebuild.

Though loss does not vanish with time, Park has chosen to spend the present with her granddaughter. By expressing her love directly and sharing these gifts while she is still here, she is practicing a form of mourning and love that is as real as it is heartfelt.