Esther Lyuh: "Hye-Gul Hong hasn't flushed the toilet in 33 years"

Medical doctor couple Hye-Gul Hong and Esther Lyuh brought laughter to viewers by revealing the stark differences in their lifestyle habits stemming from their 33-year marriage. Despite both specializing in medicine and health, the fact that they clash sharply over bathroom usage and hygiene standards at home became the central theme of a recent variety show appearance.

On the KBS2 variety program 'Problem Child in House' broadcast on the 1st, Hong and Lyuh appeared to reveal their daily lives after moving back in together for the first time in five years.

When asked about her feelings regarding the reunion, Lyuh said, "It's good to live together," but added, "For now, sharing a room seems impossible, and I wish he wouldn't enter my bathroom." The moment highlighted that affection between a couple does not necessarily mean sharing the same lifestyle habits.

The biggest revelation involved their bathroom habits. Lyuh surprised the cast by revealing, "My husband hasn't flushed the toilet after urinating for 33 years." In response, Hong explained his behavior by saying, "Urine is sterile. It is not harmful," prompting the MCs to joke, "Is that why you don't flush?" and "Are you using it like a chamber pot?" which drew laughter from the studio.

Hong's towel usage also made it onto Lyuh's list of grievances. She pointed out that although her husband uses three towels, he doesn't hang them up after use but throws them on the floor, questioning, "Doesn't mold grow because it's damp?" The discussion also touched upon his habit of leaving various bathroom lids open, further revealing how different their lifestyles are.

Hong countered, "My wife is being hypocritical. What has she ever done for me? Our housekeeper does everything."

While both individuals specialize in medicine, the fact that their standards for hygiene and lifestyle in daily life can be entirely different was playfully expressed through the couple's verbal sparring.

An even more unusual fact about their relationship was revealed: they have never kissed once in 33 years.

Lyuh cited sensitivity to oral hygiene as the reason. She explained, "We are both sensitive to oral hygiene," noting that when she tries to drink Hong's coffee after eating *kimchi*, he won't even let her touch the straw. When Kim Sook asked if they had ever actually tried it after seeing kiss scenes in movies, Lyuh replied, "There is a difference between a kiss and a peck. I thought kissing was something done mainly in movies."

Hong added, "I couldn't even imagine it. It was like that for everyone in our generation."

When the MCs expressed surprise, Hong once again triggered laughter by saying, "Your sexual desires are truly incredible."

Hong and Lyuh are more than just a famous couple; they are prominent broadcasters from medical backgrounds who have delivered medical expertise to the public in accessible language. Hong graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and has worked as a medical journalist and medical doctor, while Lyuh has also consistently communicated with the public in the health and medical fields as a family medicine specialist. While they appear as authorities explaining diseases and health in their professional fields, they have built a dual character in variety shows as a couple who expose each other's private habits.

In particular, their television appearances leverage the comedic contrast between medical authority and private life. The setting itself—where individuals with professional knowledge of health and hygiene adhere to different living rules at home—creates a kind of paradox. An expert is not someone who lives perfectly rationally in all situations, but a person who possesses expertise in a specific area while also being an individual with personal habits and tastes.

As the couple, who reunited after five years, revealed everything from different bathroom habits to ways of expressing affection, the broadcast prioritized the 'differences in lifestyle' formed through a long marriage over medical knowledge. By turning their unique 33-year relationship into material for laughter through their most private habits, the broadcast once again showcased the realistic married life unique to Hong and Lyuh.