“I lived forgetting myself” Minji Kim, ex-wife of Min-soo Yoon, shares reflections two years after divorce

Minji Kim, the ex-wife of singer Min-soo Yoon, has shared cautious reflections on her life while looking back following her divorce. She confessed that the period she once thought had completely broken her is now being processed as merely one scene in her life.

On the 3rd, Kim posted a long message on her SNS along with photos taken during a trip to Gyeongju. While sharing her peaceful daily life at the travel destination, she also looked back on the time that has passed and expressed anticipation for her future.

She wrote, “The days have flown by so quickly. Amidst the things I had to do, the relationships I had to maintain, and the feelings I had to endure, I lived forgetting even what kind of person I am and what I want.”

She continued, “Even my time, which I once thought was broken, was merely a scene in my life. I felt a little sadness for the things that ended, felt a little gratitude for the time that has passed, and for the first time, I looked forward to the time that is to come.”

These sentiments are read not as a direct explanation of the divorce itself, but as a sign that a person who had lived with family and relationships at the center for a long time has begun to view her own life more independently. In particular, the expression “I lived forgetting even what kind of person I am and what I want” encapsulates the time she pushed her individual life to the background while fulfilling her roles in marriage, parenting, and family.

Kim and Min-soo Yoon married in 2006 and had a son, Yoon Hoo, in the same year. Min-soo Yoon became widely known for his family-oriented image when he appeared on the MBC variety program “Dad! Where Are We Going?” with Yoon Hoo in 2013. At that time, Kim also appeared on the broadcast, drawing significant interest as the daily lives of the three were revealed.

However, the two decided to divorce in 2024, after 18 years of marriage. At the time, Kim stated, “Since we met when we were young and married, we stayed together through both hard and happy times, doing our best so that our relationship with the family would not change, but we decided to end it here because we were making each other struggle.” At the same time, she expressed her intention to do her best as Yoon Hoo's parent based on mutual trust, requesting that people refrain from unnecessary speculation.

Even immediately after the divorce, their relationship as a family was not completely severed. In June 2024, Min-soo Yoon released a photo of him attending his son Yoon Hoo's international school graduation ceremony alongside Kim. The sight of the divorced couple attending an important moment for their child drew attention, showing that the two were treating the end of their marriage and their roles as parents as separate matters.

Later, Min-soo Yoon and Kim were caught up in so-called “fake divorce rumors” when it was reported that they were living in the same space for a while. Min-soo Yoon later explained on a broadcast that they were indeed divorced and had come to live in the same house due to housing issues. Kim also previously shared sentiments suggesting they had actually become more comfortable with each other, like friends, after the divorce.

Earlier this year, Kim also left a message that seemed to address herself, writing, “Minji, everyone wants to take care of you. So let them take care of you.” She continued, expressing her will to reclaim her own life by writing, “Travel here and there, buy things you like, don't be afraid, and do your best to live.”

This time, while at a travel destination, she said, “For the first time, I looked forward to the time that is to come.” Rather than defining the end of the relationship as mere loss, there is a glimpse of a transformation where she mourns and is grateful for the past while accepting a new chapter.

From her marriage to Min-soo Yoon and the growth of Yoon Hoo to the family image known to the public through broadcasts, the past 20 years for Kim were a time where her individual life and family history overlapped. Now, rather than denying or erasing that time, she is preparing for the next scene by viewing it as “a scene in my life.”

While time does not erase all wounds, it sometimes changes their meaning. The message Kim left this time seems to be part of that very process of change.