Choi Kang-hee Shares Candid Reflections on 30-Year Friendship with Song Eun-yi and Nostalgia for Past Times with Kim Sook

Actress Choi Kang-hee and broadcaster Song Eun-yi have shared candid reflections on their 30-year friendship, the shifting nature of their relationship over time, and a deep nostalgia for eras that can never be revisited.

On the 28th, a video titled '30 Years of Friendship, the First Time Talking About Love | Song Eun-yi & Choi Kang-hee' was released on the YouTube channel 'I Learned Love Through Movies.' In the video, Choi Kang-hee invited her longtime friend Song Eun-yi to discuss love, friendship, and how relationships evolve as time passes.

When the production team asked the two if they had experienced their relationships changing over time, Choi Kang-hee offered a cautious but honest response.

“I felt it,” Choi Kang-hee confessed. “When each of us works on different projects, we naturally meet new people who suit our current roles. There were times I felt a sense of sadness when Eun-yi unnie [older sister] made new friends.”

Despite being special figures to one another for three decades, the nature of their connection has naturally shifted as they navigate their respective lives as an actress and a broadcaster.

“Now, when we meet on birthdays or special occasions, it’s so much fun, but otherwise, we are both too busy living our own lives,” she said. “When we do manage to make time to eat together, I find myself deeply missing the time we used to have.”

In particular, Choi Kang-hee reminisced about moments in the past when they could spend time together without any worries. “You have to have no work. You have to be jobless to stay together all day long,” she recalled. “There was a period when I was taking a break from activities and had no work, and I missed that feeling so much. It was so much fun.”

She was expressing that, compared to her current life filled with busy schedules and social roles, the time spent aimlessly with loved ones remains a source of greater happiness.

In response, Song Eun-yi lightened the mood with her signature realistic humor. She asked, “Do you miss the times when you used to smoke with Sook [Kim Sook]?” The unexpected question filled the set with laughter.

However, behind the joke lay a deep understanding between the two. Song Eun-yi showed a sense of acceptance for the present rather than lingering on the past, stating, “I don’t want to go back to those times. It’s impossible.”

At this, Choi Kang-hee remarked, “Do you know what happiness is? They say it is the time wasted with the person you love.”

Her words—that true happiness lies not in time spent for a purpose or achievement, but in the aimless moments shared with a loved one—prompted a re-evaluation of what a long-standing friendship truly means.

Choi Kang-hee also shared news of her recent success in quitting smoking. Appearing on the YouTube channel 'Lee Seong-mi's Cannot Go,' she revealed, “I have successfully quit smoking for six months now.”

Reflecting on her past smoking habits, Choi Kang-hee admitted, “I was a heavy smoker. I started after I turned twenty. I wanted to join the conversations on set, and I started smoking because it felt awkward.”

“I am someone who falls into bad habits very quickly,” she looked back, adding, “At that time, I thought I would never be able to quit smoking.”

However, she succeeded by starting with small changes. “When I felt like I was smoking for no reason, I started telling myself to delay it for a little bit, and at some point, it had been six months since I last smoked,” she said.

From a conversation with Song Eun-yi about a 30-year friendship to her personal journey of overcoming a smoking habit, Choi Kang-hee's recent updates reveal the growth of an individual who looks back at the past while living her current life to the fullest.