In the show 'Dad and Me', after 7 years, Oh Kwang-rok's son revealed the reason he had not been in contact during that time.
On the 13th broadcast of TV CHOSUN's 'Dad and Me', the actor Oh Kwang-rok was shown reuniting with his son after 7 years.
On that day, Oh Kwang-rok, speaking about his feelings about joining 'Dad and Me', said, "This has become an opportunity once again, and I think it has been a wonderful chance to see my son after 7 years. I am very nervous, thinking I must do well so I won't mess things up with my son, and I am resolved to do my best."
It turned out that he had divorced when his son was 5 years old due to financial difficulties while living a life in theater. He mentioned they had been living apart for over 30 years and that he had lost contact in the last 7 years.
In fact, three months before the broadcast during a pre-meeting, Oh Kwang-rok attempted to contact his son but did not receive a response for two months. He reflected in an interview, "What I know is that my son likes to make music and sing and has been working as a singer-songwriter. It has been his dream since he was young. After becoming an adult, he was working in coffee and tea, and I thought that if he is enjoying himself, he is probably doing well and making music now."
Regarding why he had not been in contact with his son, he said, "I haven't seen him for 7 years since before the pandemic. Even if I call him, he doesn't answer, and I don't receive replies to my texts," and added, "I don't know. I think Si-won is not in a good place mentally," evoking a sense of heaviness.
After several attempts, Oh Kwang-rok managed to get in touch with his son. Later, the two met at a cafe in Goyang City. When asked, "Why have you been avoiding contact with dad?", his son answered, "I kept getting angry because I blamed my dad. So I wasn't thinking of trying to restore our relationship at all. I appreciate the contact I'm getting now, but I have these wounds, and I want to discuss that before we talk about everyday things."
In the interview, his son expressed his feelings, saying, "It's been so long that I still feel anger. I think I didn't know how to resolve that," while also stating, "To me, my dad had no presence. He was someone I didn't even know actually existed. He was worse than someone who wasn't there at all."
He continued, "When I was younger, I constantly asked, 'When will dad come?' but at some point, dad was a nonexistent presence. I don't have memories of even trivial daily things."
He added, "I think avoiding dad's contact comes from my anger. That was my way of expressing it. I was so angry that I didn't answer calls or texts. I didn't answer calls not only from dad but also from my grandmother. I should have been angry at dad, but I couldn't voice it, and so I think it festered inside me."
The son, who had faced difficulties due to the wounds inflicted by his parents' divorce and subsequent financial hardships, finally broke down in tears in front of his father. Upon realizing his son's pain, Oh Kwang-rok was shocked and expressed his regret.
[Photo] Captured from the broadcast of 'Dad and Me'.
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