Minji, ex-wife of Min-soo Yoon, reflects on life in Gyeongju

Minji, the former wife of singer Min-soo Yoon, has shared a calm reflection on her life following her divorce. Spending time alone in Gyeongju to look back on her past, she revealed that even the moments she once believed were the collapse of her life are now being accepted as mere scenes within her larger journey. Her message is one of gratitude for the time passed rather than clinging to ended relationships, expressing anticipation for the life yet to come.

On the 3rd, Minji released photos taken throughout Gyeongju along with a long written post on her SNS. The photos captured her looking at tranquil landscapes or walking the streets holding an umbrella. Rather than flaunting a glamorous lifestyle, the atmosphere was akin to a journey of inward reflection while spending time alone.

Her writing contained deep reflections on the time that has passed. Minji noted that she had lived focusing on "things to do, relationships to maintain, and feelings to endure," to the point where she had forgotten who she truly was. It appears that the time spent fulfilling roles centered around family and relationships actually robbed her of the leisure to look inward.

In particular, the change in her perspective on the past was prominent. She expressed that the time she once thought was the collapse of her life was now merely one scene within the long narrative of her existence. She stated that she feels a little sadness for things that have ended, a little gratitude for the time that has passed, and, for the first time, anticipation for the time ahead. This reflects an attitude of re-placing those experiences within the entirety of her life, rather than denying or beautifying the divorce itself.

Min-soo Yoon and Minji married in 2006 and had their son, Yoon Hoo, in the same year. While announcing their divorce in 2024 after 18 years of marriage, the two expressed their intention not to sever their relationship as parents. At the time, Minji stated that, based on mutual trust, they would do their best as Yoon Hoo's mother and father.

Since then, the two have maintained a relationship centered around their son. In 2025, images of them traveling to Japan with Yoon Hoo were released, and on SBS's "My Little Old Boy," the process of them living together for a while to organize their household after the divorce was also featured. At that time, Yoon personally dismissed speculations of a "fake divorce" circulating online, stating they were untrue. Minji emphasized her role as a parent, stating she would be present for important milestones, such as Yoon Hoo's graduation.

Yoon Hoo has been known to the public since childhood through the MBC program "Dad! Where Are We Going?" in which his father appeared. The father-son relationship between Yoon and his father was a central narrative of the program and received significant public affection, with the boy often called "Hoo-ya." Currently, Yoon is continuing his studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States.

This trip to Gyeongju holds a meaning greater than simple rest for Minji. After living for a long time within the relational identities of "someone's wife" and "Yoon Hoo's mother," she has begun to rediscover her own desires and emotions. While one cannot judge her entire life based solely on a few SNS posts, it is clear that the language she uses to face her past has become much more composed.

Just because a relationship ends does not mean the time that constituted that relationship disappears. Minji's expression of the past as being "thankful" follows this logic. Instead of erasing the marriage, the divorce, and her role as a parent, she is acknowledging both the joy and the wounds within them as she moves toward the next chapter.

Amidst the slow scenery of Gyeongju, Minji offered not an afterword to the divorce, but an anticipation for the "life hereafter." The time that once appeared to be a collapse has become a scene passed, and the time that has not yet arrived has become a future she can look forward to. Her trip is ultimately less a record of a finished relationship and more a quiet declaration that, after a long time, she has begun to make her own life the subject once again.