Actor Lee Ho-cheol reveals two-year estrangement from mother

Actor Lee Ho-cheol revealed on the SBS program 'My Little Old Boy' on the 25th that he has not seen his mother for more than two years. The estrangement followed childhood poverty and a conflict over managing his earnings that led to him being kicked out of his home.

Actor Lee Ho-cheol has revealed a heartbreaking family history, disclosing that he has not met his mother for more than two years. Growing up in poverty and having to enter the workforce at the age of 19, he confessed that he essentially became independent after being driven out of his home following conflicts with his mother. While long-held resentment distanced the mother and son, concerns regarding his mother's health have led him back toward home.

During the broadcast of the SBS entertainment program 'My Little Old Boy' on the 25th, actors Bae Jung-nam, Hyun Bong-sik, and Lee Ho-cheol were shown traveling to Daegu. On this day, Lee spoke candidly to the two men about his relationship with his mother, sharing stories he had found difficult to bring up until now. He surprised those around him by revealing, "It has been more than two years since I last saw my mom."

Lee stated that after his parents divorced when he was five years old, he lived with his mother but was raised by his grandmother due to economic hardships. His mother worked selling skewers, while his grandmother made a living through tomato farming. However, the insufficient financial circumstances were passed directly down to the young Lee. "Because there was no rice, we would eat 300 won worth of noodles for a week," he recalled. The noodles he ate excessively during his childhood remained not just as food, but as a memory of his impoverished days. Reflecting on that time, Lee drew sympathy by revealing, "I was so sick of them that I didn't eat noodles until my mid-30s."

As his grandmother's health declined, Lee began living with his mother again, but the weight of life did not become any lighter. He explained that he entered a foundry immediately without even having the luxury to consider attending university. He started working because his mother told him to, but the life was too heavy to handle at such a young age. "Since she was raising me alone, how could I go to university? I went straight to a foundry," Lee confessed, adding, "My mom told me to go, so I went, but I really couldn't do it."

In particular, the reality of having to live a different life from his peers at the age of 19 remained a long-lasting wound. He expressed the sorrow of that time, saying, "Other kids are asking which university to go to, but do you think I wanted to do that work? I was 19." Having to head to a factory for a livelihood at an age when he should have been worrying about university and his future, he had to shoulder adult responsibilities early regardless of his own choices. His calm confession contained the frustration and sense of injustice accumulated since his childhood.

The catalyst for the serious breakdown in his relationship with his mother was money. Lee explained that his mother wanted to take charge of and manage the money he earned, but he expressed his intention to save the money himself, feeling that he was working hard but could not actually build his own life. "Mom said she would manage it if I earned money and gave it to her. But I was working and couldn't live. I said I would save the money and handle it myself," he said. The son's desire for economic independence eventually escalated into conflict between mother and son.

The conflict also affected daily life. "From then on, my relationship with my mom became bad. She wouldn't even give me food," Lee confessed, "It wasn't a natural independence; I was essentially kicked out." His decision to save money to design his own future led to the severance of family ties. Listening to the story, Shin Dong-yup empathized with the pain Lee must have experienced, saying, "How many difficult things must you have been unable to speak of?"

Even after leaving home, the relationship between mother and son was not completely severed. Lee stated that he maintained contact with his mother, but they mainly exchanged greetings on special occasions like holidays. "I didn't go to see her that often," he said, noting, "I guess there were many resentments from the past." Even though a long time had passed, the wounds and resentments from his childhood did not easily disappear.

What moved Lee's heart was his mother's health issues. During a recent phone call, when she mentioned that a colon polyp was discovered during a health checkup, his worry and desire to see her in person grew. Lee confessed, "I felt worried for no reason, and I wanted to see her." Ultimately, perhaps because he could not easily make the trip alone, he asked Bae Jung-nam and Hyun Bong-sik to accompany him on the way to see his mother. Bae Jung-nam understood the long-standing awkwardness, asking, "Because it's awkward to go alone?"

On the way to see his mother, Lee prepared flowers and a handwritten letter. He was also shown remembering a 3,000 won ring he had given his mother when he was a child. To express the emotions he had kept buried in his heart for many years, he chose a card with a short message rather than a grand gift. Facing the message "Mom, I love you," his mother burst into tears, saying, "This is the first time I've received this. I am so happy. I love you beyond words."

It was the moment the mother and son, who had not met in person for over two years, finally faced each other. The poverty of childhood, the early burden of providing a livelihood, and the deep conflict caused by money had created a long distance between the two. However, Lee, who moved his feet again out of concern for his mother's health, conveyed his long-unexpressed feelings through the letter. While it cannot be concluded that all long-standing wounds disappeared with a single meeting, the fact that affection for each other still remains was conveyed through their tearful reunion.

Read the original (Korean)