Jung Hyung-don admits greed drove decision to send daughters to Hawaii

Comedian Jung Hyung-don confessed that his decision to send his two daughters to study in Hawaii for five years was driven by his own greed and childhood deprivation. The family is now concluding their time abroad and returning to South Korea after years of living apart.

Comedian Jung Hyung-don has confessed that his decision to send his two daughters to study in Hawaii was influenced by his own greed and the sense of deprivation he felt during his childhood. After spending approximately five years traveling between South Korea and Hawaii and living apart from his family, he spoke candidly about his desire to gift his daughters better experiences. His confession, made as the family concludes their life in Hawaii, prompted a reflection on his responsibilities as a father and his personal desires.

On the 17th, a video titled "Our attitude toward ending our life in Hawaii. Hawaii Life—Records of the last month" was released on the YouTube channel 'Hanjakga,' operated by Jung Hyung-don's wife, Han Yu-ra. The video captures the daily life of Han Yu-ra and her two daughters during their final month of living in Hawaii, a period that lasted about five years. Jung Hyung-don, who has continued his broadcasting activities in South Korea, also visited Hawaii to spend time with his family.

Han Yu-ra asked Jung Hyung-don, "How does it feel to return home in glory after five years of 'eagle life'?" Jung Hyung-don provided a witty response that drew laughter, saying, "Return in glory? You have to take the 'glory' out." He used his signature humor to reflect on the long period of living apart from his family while commuting between South Korea and Hawaii.

Jung Hyung-don expressed his gratitude to his wife, saying, "Han Yu-ra, you worked hard for five years." While Han Yu-ra had heard from those around her that she had struggled during those five years, she noted that she could not claim she was the only one who suffered, as all four family members faced their own difficulties. This implies that the long period of living abroad involved times that were difficult to explain as the sacrifice of just one person.

The family's satisfaction with their life in Hawaii was also revealed. When Jung Hyung-don asked for a score, Han Yu-ra gave it a 4.2 out of 5. She explained that while she could have enjoyed and experienced more to make her time in Hawaii more fulfilling, she felt regret that she could not fully take advantage of those opportunities while going through a personally difficult period. She left a 0.8-point deficit, noting that she only came to her senses and reflected on her life about a year before their return.

Han Yu-ra then posed a question to Jung Hyung-don: was the time spent repeatedly traveling between South Korea and Hawaii to meet the family worth it? Jung Hyung-don reflected on his choice by revealing his desire to study abroad since he was young. "It is because the deprivation from my childhood was great. So, because there was a feeling of wanting to be compensated even through my children, in a way, it was my greed," he confessed.

This indicates that alongside his educational wishes for his two daughters, there was a desire to gift them the experiences he felt he had not enjoyed as a child. He admitted that while he believed the decision was for his children's future, it contained his own parental desires. His confession showed that the choices made for children and the dreams parents wish to achieve are not always completely separate.

The twin daughters gave their life in Hawaii a score of 4.5 out of 5. Explaining their regret, one daughter said, "I feel like we could have done a bit more. I came to my senses around 5th grade." This also revealed that each family member remembers and evaluates the time spent in Hawaii slightly differently.

Jung Hyung-don married former broadcast writer Han Yu-ra in 2009, and they had twin daughters in 2012. Subsequently, Han Yu-ra lived in Hawaii for the daughters' education, while Jung Hyung-don continued his broadcasting activities in South Korea, commuting between the two locations. With the family's recent return, the long-term "goose father" lifestyle has come to an end.

While the experiences of each family member over the five years were different, they are now able to share their daily lives in one space. In particular, the part where Jung Hyung-don linked the daughters' study abroad to his own childhood deprivation shows that this return is more than just a change of residence. Attention is focused on the future of Jung Hyung-don's family as they leave behind the time spent apart and begin a new daily life together.

Read the original (Korean)