Jang Yoon-ju moves to the United Kingdom after 3 years of deliberation—Reality over dreams

“I have stopped dreaming huge dreams like before.” Model and actress Jang Yoon-ju has finally left South Korea with her family after three years of deliberation. Although she chose to head to the United Kingdom following her husband's studies abroad, the inner thoughts Jang Yoon-ju revealed were deeply permeated with anxiety and contemplation rather than excitement.

On the 3rd, a video capturing the process of leaving for the United Kingdom with her husband Jeong Seung-min and daughter Lisa was released on Jang Yoon-ju's YouTube channel 'Yunjureu Jang Yoon-ju'. The starting point of this move was her husband's long-held dream. Jeong Seung-min, who wanted to continue his studies in design, prepared for studying abroad for about one year while balancing work and study, and was finally accepted into a master's program at a graduate school in London last December.

Watching her husband's challenge, Jang Yoon-ju also eventually decided that the family would move together. However, she did not agree readily from the beginning. Jang Yoon-ju revealed that from the moment her husband expressed his desire to study again, she held onto the thought of staying in South Korea for as long as two to three years.

Ahead of her departure, Jang Yoon-ju confessed, “To be honest, I am a little anxious in many ways,” adding, “It's not like I'm going completely; I will be coming and going whenever there is work, but even though it is a long trip, it is like that.” Nevertheless, the decisive reason she changed her mind was the thought that “it would be difficult to have such an experience if not now.” Jang Yoon-ju explained that the family decided to be together to support her husband's dream, stating, “The most important keyword is being together.”

In the process, she also looked back on her own life. Jang Yoon-ju said, “I don't think I am a traveler or a dreamer anymore,” and “I thought it was enough to just be grateful for the work given to me and produce good results.” This is a confession that her values have changed toward accepting her current life rather than running toward huge goals like in the past.

Although she was encouraged to take on new challenges as a model, her confidence was not what it used to be. Jang Yoon-ju candidly confessed, “Modeling is work done with the body, but my physical strength has also weakened.” She mentioned that even when meeting friends, they share stories like “I have no energy” or “I have no energy and nothing I want to do,” saying, “I think I have reached that age too.” She also shared her worries, asking, “Why can't I rest? What is making me so anxious?”

Still, she has not completely given up on her dreams. Jang Yoon-ju expressed her intention to study English while staying in the United Kingdom and to actually live there, rather than just staying briefly as if traveling. She added that if something starts to stir within her again and she feels the desire to challenge herself, she will start a new job then. Her husband's late-blooming challenge to study abroad also served as an opportunity for Jang Yoon-ju to look for work she can immerse herself in for the next 10, 15, or 20 years.

Having arrived in the United Kingdom, Jang Yoon-ju's family has begun ordinary local life, such as setting up their new home and grocery shopping at a supermarket near their house. Although the trip to the United Kingdom started from her husband's dream, for Jang Yoon-ju, it is perhaps a departure with an even greater meaning. For the model Jang Yoon-ju, who has run more fiercely than anyone, a time has begun to slow down for a moment and rediscover what she wants in the future.