Singer and actress Um Jung-hwa recalled her childhood.

On the 23rd, a video titled "I said everything while being tipsy... This is an alcohol trip" was uploaded to the 'Umaizing Um Jung-hwa TV' channel.

That day, Um Jung-hwa visited her regular wine bar to have a meal. She noted, "It seems absurd, but isn't there a strange attraction? I felt that way when I was young. I was born in Jecheon, Chungbuk. I wasn't pretty, and I was quiet and shy at school, just filled with thoughts without expressing myself. But I don't know either. Just looking in the mirror, I wanted to be a star. I really lived in a more rural area even in Jecheon. Did I have five friends? In that neighborhood? I often flipped my mother’s lipstick and dreamed of being a singer; then I wanted to act when I watched dramas. I think my dream was set at that time."

Um Jung-hwa said, "It was impossible to achieve. I wasn't exceptionally beautiful or talented in that rural area. So, I disliked myself for dreaming such dreams. It felt absurd to keep dreaming. I became a high school student, and I had to decide my career path. I really wanted to go to theater and film studies. Anyway, at some point, I completely gave up on studying. My mother told me, 'Since we don't have a father and there are three daughters and one son, you all should think about working after graduating from high school instead of going to university.' I understand now why she said that; she had to raise four children. We needed to be a help to our mother, yet I had no idea what I wanted to do. Aside from that, all I wanted was to act and sing." Um Jung-hwa revealed that her father passed away in a motorcycle accident when she was 6 years old, leaving her family to have a difficult childhood, such as living off the school canteen.

She continued, "When I moved to Seoul as a senior in high school, I thought about how happy it would be to earn money doing what I truly love. Then I saw a recruitment notice for the MBC Chorus and applied. At first, I didn't make it. It really seemed unbelievable, but they had additional spots, only 8. Even then, I thought I couldn't get in. But I did. Through a special selection. That was truly a remarkable and significant event in my life. I experienced so much that what I wanted kept being fulfilled. I feel like I have to keep wishing, wanting, and making an effort to achieve it."

Um Jung-hwa expressed, "So I still keep hoping and wanting. I truly do. It’s scary to say this. I really want to be a great actress. But acting is so difficult. The more I do it, the harder it becomes. I have to maintain my emotions, and I truly want to become a great actress. Someday, I want to have wonderful directors and good writers' books, and that’s my dream. I want to receive applause that everyone acknowledges. It’s not because of the applause that I want it; I really want to have such works in my life. That’s my dream."

In particular, Um Jung-hwa stated, "Do you and I really have to think about age? Age is something everyone gets, but if I had thought, 'At this age,' I wouldn't exist. I think it’s more about considering what I want to do first. It seems some people age ahead of time. There’s no choice. There are things that fall in line with age. So I just think, what can I do about my age? I'm nearly 60 now. But isn't it true that a master needs to grow older? I have thoughts like this. 'It’s hard at my age to exercise,' and then I think, 'It’s because I haven't exercised until now, that’s why. I should do it again.' Then I regain my strength."

She emphasized, "I really want to do well. Preparing an album feels so natural to me. I’m just doing it. Even if no one listens now, someone will in a few years. And I think it’s meaningful that I keep doing this. If I had given up, I probably would have quit when my voice went out. If I give up like that, it seems like my life would end. So I decided I have to make my next album. It took 8 years, but I did it. I have to do it. What else is there in life? I have to do it."

[Photo] Umaizing Um Jung-hwa TV

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