Do Ji-won, Still Living With Her Mother at 60 as a "Kangaroo Tribe" Member; Her Older Sister Is Also Unmarried

Actress Do Ji-won will appear on SBS's variety program My Little Old Boy on the 7th and reveal that, even at the age of 60, she is still part of the so-called "Kangaroo Tribe," living together with her mother rather than having left the family home.

During the studio recording, Do Ji-won looks back on behind-the-scenes stories from the drama Yeoin Cheonha, where a single line, "Mwe-ya?" helped drive the show's popularity so high that its viewership rating reached 49.9 percent. Her portrayal of the legendary villain Gyeongbin Park became so central to the series that people reportedly even said, "If 'Mwe-ya?' dies, this drama cannot continue."

In the studio, the panel confirms just how intense Do Ji-won's popularity was at the time, saying, "It was truly enormous," and, "What I still remember is 'Mwe-ya.'" When Do Ji-won then launches into an impromptu villain performance, she channels Gyeongbin Park and sharply corners MC Seo Jang-hoon. Seo Jang-hoon, caught off guard by the unexpected turn, is left visibly flustered.

The broadcast also reveals an unexpected part of Do Ji-won's background. She says she is a former member of the Korea National Ballet and that she once shared a practice room as an alumna with world-renowned ballerina Kang Sue-jin. She does not stop at simply telling the story, surprising everyone by demonstrating a difficult stretching move on the spot. Shin Dong-yup and Seo Jang-hoon cannot take their eyes off her elegant movement, remarking, "That is not a move just anyone can do."

Do Ji-won then turns the studio upside down by revealing that she has not spent even a single day away from her mother's care and is, in that sense, a member of the "Kangaroo Tribe." What surprises the studio even more is the fact that her biological older sister also has not married. When asked, "Does that mean you are committed to staying unmarried?" Do Ji-won gives an honest account of her thoughts.

Born in 1966, Do Ji-won is an actress who first trained as a ballerina, studying at Sunhwa Arts High School and Hanyang University's Department of Dance before performing with the Korea National Ballet. She began her entertainment career after being selected as a cosmetics model through competition said to have been 1,400 to 1. Since then, she has appeared in numerous dramas, including Seoul Ttukbaegi, Bathhouse Men's House, Brothers' River, Paper Crane, Gwangkki, Yeoin Cheonha, Suspicious Three Brothers, Smile Again, Unkind Women, My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol, and Treasure Island. She also made a special appearance in the recently concluded Scarecrow.