Kim Jun-ho to become father at 52: 'Morning sickness instead of my wife?'

Comedian Kim Jun-ho is set to reveal the moment he and his wife, Kim Ji-min, become expectant parents after a long wait. As Kim, who has entered his 50s, has been longing for a child, attention is gathering on the couple's journey—from the IVF procedure to the moment they confirmed the pregnancy, the reactions of their family, and even the phenomenon known as 'Couvade syndrome.'

On the SBS variety program 'My Little Old Boy' airing on the 30th, Kim will share the story of their first embryo transfer and the moment they confirmed the pregnancy with Kim. The couple had previously received widespread support after revealing they were undergoing IVF to conceive.

Upon hearing the news of the successful pregnancy from the attending physician, Kim ultimately burst into tears he had been holding back. It was the moment a long-awaited wish became reality. Watching this in the studio, Seo Jang-hoon showed deep empathy, noting that his own situation is similar to Kim's in many ways.

The moment Kim Ji-min directly announces the pregnancy will also be revealed. Having received the news in an unexpected way, Kim showed a reaction of being lost in thought rather than expressing immediate joy, which reportedly caused Kim to show disappointment.

In the studio, reactions such as “You should cry, why aren't you crying?” and “From Kim Jun-ho's perspective, tears should be coming out” drew laughter. However, the reaction from Kim's mother, which was revealed next, instantly changed the atmosphere.

Kim's mother, who had desperately hoped her 52-year-old son would finally have a child, was said to have been unable to speak for a while after hearing the news, before finally saying, “It’s come, it’s finally come...” It was a moment where the mother's emotions, having watched her son's long wait, were condensed into a single short sentence.

Kim also shows his side as an expectant father, personally taking care of prenatal education and meals for Kim. He expressed his determination to support his wife by preparing the foods she craves and engaging in prenatal activities using fairy tale books.

Particularly eye-catching is the fact that the 'morning sickness' of Kim Ji-min and Kim Jun-ho manifested in different ways. While Kim is experiencing 'eating sickness' (craving food), seeking out spicy foods she didn't usually eat, Kim revealed that he has been experiencing morning sickness symptoms for a full month.

These symptoms appearing in the husband are medically explained by 'Couvade syndrome.' This refers to a phenomenon where the husband of a pregnant partner experiences physical and emotional symptoms similar to pregnancy, such as nausea, changes in appetite, and fatigue; psychological empathy or stress are cited as related factors. However, Couvade syndrome is not viewed as the same physiological process as the pregnancy itself.

For Kim, this pregnancy holds a meaning beyond just an increase in family members. He had expressed his desire for a child several times even before marrying Kim, and the couple has been open about the process of receiving medical assistance to conceive.

Since Kim became an expectant father in his 50s, this journey also reflects the recent social trend in Korean society of late marriage and advanced maternal age. As the importance of medical management increases with higher childbearing ages, it is known that the couple prepared for pregnancy through professional medical processes such as IVF.

Kim and Kim became a married couple after a long period of public dating. For the pair, who have garnered public interest by candidly showing their lives through broadcasts, this pregnancy serves as a turning point in forming a new family beyond dating and marriage.

Above all, the point of interest in this broadcast is not just the pregnancy itself, but the waiting endured by the couple and the emotions of their family. Behind the medical procedures lie the years of longing from the couple and the mother who hoped for her son's child.

With the unique situation of Kim experiencing morning sickness on behalf of his wife, the couple's journey is expected to be a family narrative where laughter and emotion intersect. The story of Kim Jun-ho and Kim Ji-min will be revealed on SBS's 'My Little Old Boy' airing at 9 PM on the 30th.