'Singer and actress Uhm Jung-hwa (56) candidly revealed why she did not marry. She said, "The idea of performing on stage after giving birth was unimaginable at the time," recalling the practical constraints she faced as a female entertainer.
Recently, on the YouTube channel SPNS TV's video "대한민국 LGBTQ씬의 영원한 iKON" episode, Uhm Jung-hwa appeared as a grants to talk about her life and career. The video has been drawing renewed attention through the official channel on the 12th.
Uhm Jung-hwa said about the theme of "age," "When I was in my 30s I couldn't even imagine being able to be as active as I am now," adding, "I think that's ultimately why I didn't marry." She continued, "If you married, I thought there would definitely be limits to performing as an actress and as a female singer. At the time, the atmosphere was that if you married and had children, an actress would be limited to the role of a mother, and for a singer it was almost impossible to stand on stage as an active performer."
She expressed bitterness, saying, "Although many things are possible now, attitudes toward age were too harsh back then. Once you passed a certain age, there was an atmosphere of 'disappearing' immediately." She also complained, "From my late 20s, every article tagged my age. I wanted to keep challenging myself without thinking about age, but stereotypes and limits always felt like they were constricting me."
Uhm Jung-hwa lamented the reality of being confined by the concept of age, saying, "Everyone grows older. But even in that process you must keep challenging yourself, expressing yourself, doing what you love, and achieving your dreams. It pains me that many people suffer because of age." She added, "We now live in a 100-year era. There is still a long way to go, and it is regrettable that people remain so obsessed with age."
She strongly agreed with the saying "time goes faster as you get older," prompting laughter, and at the same time offered warm advice to younger generations. "Difficult things will arise endlessly in life. Even so, don't fall into despair; courageously choose and pursue what you want and what makes your heart race. In a career, above all, you should do what you love. Never forget that you yourself are the most precious."
Meanwhile, Uhm Jung-hwa previously said she has no regrets about choosing not to marry. She said she experienced moments of relief and sadness during that process, confessing that her choice was not a simple refusal but a decision made after intense deliberation.
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