Seo In-young reveals 10-year struggle with depression and panic disorder

Singer Seo In-young has revealed that her approximately 10-year hiatus from broadcasting was driven by struggles with panic disorder and depression. After once dominating the entertainment industry with her extravagant spending and intense persona, she confessed to undergoing significant psychological distress through marriage and divorce before finally standing before the public again.

On the 11th, Seo appeared as a 'my star' on the SBS variety program 'My Grumpy Secretary,' where she spent time with Lee Seo Jin, Kim Kwang Kyu, and Haru, speaking candidly about her recent life and the years that have passed.

During the broadcast, Seo mentioned her recent YouTube activities, saying, "It feels good to be able to be honest while doing YouTube." She explained the advantages of the platform, which allows for more direct communication compared to traditional media, stating, "I'm showing everything I have, to the point where people ask, 'How honest are you going to be?'"

Her original purpose for starting YouTube was not a grand comeback. Seo revealed that the response was unexpected, stating, "I started YouTube just to let people know that I am still alive." Subsequently, she found an opportunity to resume her activities by actively communicating with fans through her channel, 'Gaegwacheonseon Seo In-young.'

A particularly notable point is that she did not describe her hiatus as a simple rest or a pause in activities. Seo directly confessed, "I wasn't broadcasting because I had panic disorder and severe depression. I had been suffering from these illnesses for 10 years."

A long hiatus due to mental health issues carries more weight than a mere reduction in activity for a celebrity's career. For entertainers who rely on public perception and evaluation as a professional asset, returning to broadcasting means placing oneself back in the arena of public judgment. In Seo's case, since she had a strong past image and previous controversies, the comeback itself likely acted as a psychological burden.

Seo specifically confessed that she lost her sense of direction in life following her divorce. She explained her situation at the time, noting that after the divorce, she thought, "Then what am I supposed to do?" and lacked even the confidence that she could work again.

She revealed that her current boyfriend was the person who gave her strength during that process. Seo said, "I thought I wouldn't be able to work, but my current boyfriend gave me courage by saying, 'You can do it.'" Lee Seo Jin also supported her new beginning, saying, "You met a good boyfriend. In the end, you did well."

The reason this comeback is even more special to Seo is that it goes beyond simply appearing on television; it is a process of facing her past head-on. In fact, in a recent episode of 'My Grumpy Secretary,' she directly mentioned the controversies surrounding her in the past, making remarks to the effect of, "I admit I was acting out of line back then."

After debuting as a member of Jewelry in 2002, Seo expanded her field of activity as a solo singer and entertainer. In particular, she built a unique star image that aligned with the consumer trends of popular culture at the time, establishing a character known for actively consuming luxury goods and fashion, earning her the nickname 'Sin-sang-nyeo' (the lady of new luxury goods).

However, in 2017, she became embroiled in a major controversy when a video surfaced showing her using profanity toward staff during an overseas shoot. Seo explained at the time that the target of the profanity was a manager she had worked with for a long time and that her emotions had flared up during the filming process, but she subsequently entered a long hiatus by halting her broadcasting activities.

After time has passed, Seo is facing the public again by acknowledging her past mistakes rather than completely denying her former self. Her recent expression in a broadcast, describing herself as being "in the process of changing to become better," can be seen as an extension of this attitude.

In this broadcast, her past spending habits were also brought up again. When Kim Kwang Kyu joked, "If you hadn't bought shoes and bags, you would have a building here," Seo brought laughter by retorting that according to her father's calculations, it would have amounted to about three buildings.

Seo was actually famous for her strong spending tendencies, such as owning hundreds of pairs of shoes in the past. Recently, however, she has shown a different lifestyle, stating, "My desire for material goods has disappeared."

She also revealed her current life, where her father takes away her credit card. She stated that she spent a lot of money on past consumption, including procedures like liposuction, and currently lives by receiving an allowance from her father and cooking her own meals.

This moment carries more weight than a simple variety show episode. While the Seo In-young of her prime used consumption, fashion, and a glamorous image as part of her stardom, she is now focusing on survival, daily life, relationships, and the ability to work again. The shift from 'Sin-sang-nyeo' to 'Gaegwacheonseon Seo In-young' symbolizes a fundamental change in her attitude toward life.

Seo married a non-celebrity businessman who is nine years her senior in 2023, but they divorced the following year. After a 10-year broadcasting hiatus and the personal upheaval of divorce, she reconnected with the public through YouTube this year. Recently, she revealed she is dating Choi Ji-hoon, the CEO of the content creative company NP, who is six years her senior, and is preparing for remarriage in the second half of this year.

Seo has previously spoken publicly about her first meeting with her fiancé and her decision to remarry. She shared that although she suffered through severe depression in the past, she found the strength to rebuild her life through this new relationship.

However, viewing Seo's return merely as a narrative of a "star successfully making a comeback" overlooks the road ahead. The mental health issues she described are not something that can be resolved through willpower alone, and a return to broadcasting does not necessarily signify full recovery.

Nevertheless, the fact that Seo is choosing to use her own words to address her past image, controversies, hiatus, and divorce—rather than hiding them—marks a clear departure from her previous path. Instead of attempting to recreate her past stardom, she is redefining her relationship with the public by dissecting her former self and showing her current reality.

For Seo, who was distant from the stage for ten years, this comeback is less about reclaiming past glory and more about placing her life back on the social stage. At the heart of this journey is the support of a partner who told her "You can do it," and her own choice to no longer turn away from her scars and mistakes.