Do Kyung-wan decided to marry Jang Yoon-jeong to 'protect her' despite her mother's 1 billion won debt

Broadcaster Do Kyung-wan has revealed the reason why he decided to marry singer Jang Yoon-jeong just four months after they began dating. It was not merely the excitement of welcoming a glamorous star as his wife. The two met when Jang Yoon-jeong was going through a difficult time due to family issues, and Do Kyung-wan shed tears in the face of the pain she first confided to him. His decision to marry was rooted in the desire to protect the person he loved.

On the August 8 broadcast of KBS 2TV 'Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant', Do Kyung-wan, returning to the program after 5 years and 8 months, revealed his daily life with his wife Jang Yoon-jeong. Looking back at the time they announced their marriage in 2013 after four months of dating, the two discussed the background of how they were able to accept each other as life partners despite the short courtship period. While it seemed like a somewhat hasty decision to others, there was a reason that moved their hearts that much.

Recalling the time she met Do Kyung-wan, Jang Yoon-jeong said, "We met when I was going through a very hard time." At that time, Jang Yoon-jeong was experiencing great difficulty due to complex family matters, including her biological mother's debt amounting to hundreds of millions of won and her father's illness. While she was remembered by the public as a successful singer on glamorous stages, in her private life, she had to face a reality that was overwhelming to handle. In that situation, Jang Yoon-jeong confided her family history to Do Kyung-wan for the first time.

Upon hearing Jang Yoon-jeong's story, Do Kyung-wan shed tears and comforted her, saying, "It is not your fault." Explaining the situation at the time, he revealed, "The fact that she brought up her pain to me, when we had not even been dating for long, felt like an SOS signal. I thought she was someone in need of protection." This means he did not rush into marriage before knowing all of her past, but rather could not turn away from the heart of Jang Yoon-jeong, who shared her difficult story with him. For Do Kyung-wan, that moment was the catalyst that gave him the certainty that she was the person to spend his life with, beyond just dating.

Of course, life after marriage has not always been smooth. Jang Yoon-jeong felt regretful that her husband Do Kyung-wan's presence was relatively overshadowed due to her own fame. She worried about the pressure he might feel as a husband and a broadcaster in a reality where public attention is focused on his wife. Behind the glamorous title of a star couple, there was also a reality where they had to worry about maintaining their respective self-esteem and roles.

Do Kyung-wan also did not hide his emotions. While honestly admitting, "Feelings like inferiority haven't completely disappeared," he emphasized, "We are a great team." Rather than packaging it as if he does not mind his wife's success at all, he acknowledged that complex emotions remain, reflecting on the value of the relationship they have built together. It was impressive to see them sharing realistic concerns and enduring together instead of hiding each other's weaknesses or having one side make unilateral sacrifices.

The two, who married in 2013, have formed a family with one son and one daughter. While the choice to decide on marriage after four months of dating seemed fast at the time, the story revealed in this broadcast showed that the decision cannot be explained by speed alone. Do Kyung-wan's heart in embracing Jang Yoon-jeong while she was struggling with family issues, and the image of the couple sharing their realistic concerns, revealed the fact that marriage is not a relationship maintained by excitement alone. What left a deeper resonance than the daily life of a glamorous star couple was, ultimately, the choice made by the two not to turn away from each other's most difficult moments.

Read the original (Korean)