Hwang Hye-young heads to LA for first solo trip in 20 years

Broadcaster Hwang Hye-young has departed for Los Angeles, United States, alone, away from her family for the first time in approximately 20 years. Unlike typical travel content that boasts of glamorous overseas trips, this journey carries a special meaning: it is a 'vacation' gifted by her husband to Hwang, who has had to endure a series of major changes in her family affairs and daily life over the past year.

On the 15th, Hwang released a video titled 'Free Woman after 20 years!! Solo LA Travel Vlog' through her YouTube channel 'This Is Hwang Hye-young.' The video captures her daily life as she experiences independent time for the first time in a long while, from the moment she boards the plane for LA to arriving at her local accommodation and exploring her private space.

Upon boarding the plane, Hwang remarked that it feels like it has been "more than 20 years" since she last traveled alone. This signifies that she has not had the opportunity to travel solo for a long period while maintaining a daily life centered around marriage, childbirth, and raising her children.

This trip to LA did not stem from a simple travel plan. Looking back at last year, Hwang explained, "There was a lot going on at home." She revealed that she moved twice due to interior issues and had to hold two funerals as her parents-in-law passed away in succession.

To add to this, her twin sons' school transfer coincided with these events. With the task of reorganizing their living environment, the funerals of close family members, and changes in her children's educational environment all concentrating in one period, Hwang described it as having "spent a hectic year."

When dealing with major events occurring within family members one by one, one's own fatigue and emotions are bound to be pushed to the back burner. Especially for someone who must manage the daily lives of a family as a parent and spouse, 'time alone' is not merely leisure, but a minimum space to reflect on oneself.

For Hwang, her husband Kim Kyung-rok made a special choice. Hwang revealed that she is heading to LA alone by plane, stating, "That is why my husband gave me a special vacation." The trip is intended for her to spend time entirely on herself, rather than resting for the sake of the family.

In LA, Hwang plans to spend about two weeks on a free schedule, meeting friends and enjoying golf. While the itinerary itself may look like an ordinary trip, for someone who has not traveled alone for a long time, it serves as a kind of refreshment to regain balance in her life.

Her practical taste for a long-term stay was evident in her choice of accommodation. Instead of a hotel, Hwang arranged a residence where cooking and laundry are possible, and she personally introduced the space equipped with a kitchen, living room, balcony, bedroom, and dressing room.

Hwang could not hide her satisfaction with the view of downtown LA from her accommodation. Her plan is to stay for about fifteen days in a place with sufficient space for living alone and facilities that allow her to continue a familiar lifestyle, thereby temporarily escaping family schedules and housework to regain her own rhythm.

While touring the accommodation, Hwang repeatedly exclaimed, "Isn't it so good to live alone?" "It's so good." Rather than introducing famous tourist attractions, her appearance of enjoying the fact that she secured a space just for herself clearly demonstrated the nature of this trip.

After introducing the accommodation, she even joked, "This has been my single house so far." For someone who has lived a long married life and a family-centered daily routine, this can be read as an experience that is both unfamiliar and welcome—a time to live like a 'single' person, even if only briefly.

Hwang showed an attitude of actively enjoying her time alone rather than fearing it. While planning external activities such as meeting friends and playing golf, she decided to rest at her own pace at the accommodation, stepping away from the time she had focused on her family.

Hwang, who gained public recognition as a member of the co-ed group Two Two in the 1990s and has since expanded her career as a broadcaster and entrepreneur, has also consistently revealed her daily life as a mother raising twin sons since her marriage. This is why her current image, centered on family and daily life rather than her glamorous career as a star, feels more familiar to the public.

In that sense, this trip to LA has aspects that are difficult to explain with the light expression 'Free Woman.' This is because it shows another form of a marital relationship, where after handling continuous large and small family matters, a spouse proactively suggests a rest to his wife and makes time for her to leave on her own.

In particular, for someone who has lived with family for a long period, a solo trip carries a meaning beyond physical movement. A time where one does not have to follow anyone's schedule, prepare anyone's meals, or calculate anyone's return time can be an experience of stepping away from daily roles to return to oneself as the primary subject.

Hwang has become 'alone' again for the first time in about 20 years. As she leaves the heavy moments of last year behind, interest is growing in whether her fifteen days in LA—laughing with friends and playing golf—will serve as more than just a trip, but a starting point for a new routine of self-care.