Actor Lee Pil-mo shared the heartbreaking story that although two years have passed since his mother's death, he still has not told his father.
At 8:10 p.m. on the 15th, Channel A's 'Close friends tokyumentary – 4-person table' will air the episode featuring 27-year actor Lee Pil-mo.
That day, Lee Pil-mo invited his close friends Lee Jong-hyuk and Kim Min-kyo, classmates from Seoul Institute of the Arts, class of '93, and friends of 32 years, to his home and prepared a meal for them with his wife. Lee Pil-mo, who met his wife through a dating show and married her, opened his home where he is raising two sons, saying, 'Before marriage I used five rooms by myself, but after marriage I only have a 1-pyeong balcony as my space,' drawing sympathy from married men. When he said he calls his wife "aga" as a pet name, his wife Seo Su-yeon said, "The title is only 'aga.' (I am not treated like a baby) He says, 'Aga, clean this up,'" continuing the revelation and turning the set into laughter.
Memories of college days of Lee Pil-mo, known as the legendary class of '93 at Seoul Institute of the Arts, and his close friends are also revealed. Having attended an all-boys high school, Lee Pil-mo said that after entering university he could not call female students by their given names without removing their family names, and that he could not breathe just by seeing male and female students hug each other in greeting. In response, Kim Min-kyo shot back, "I wrapped my arm around a girl's waist back then," making their friends burst into laughter. Also, the truth about a love triangle in which the two men were entangled over one female student comes to light, causing a stir on the set.
Lee Pil-mo then opens up about the process of establishing himself as an actor. He supported himself with various part-time jobs including stage setup, and endured 10 years of obscurity, even taking a bit role that involved being slapped on Love and War, before becoming known through the dramas drama 'You Are My Destiny', drama 'The Prime of the Daughter-in-Law', and drama 'Solyakgukjip's Sons', confessing the arduous journey to escape obscurity. Kim Min-kyo said that during Lee's long period of obscurity he bought him drinks and comforted him by saying, 'Let's hang on a little longer,' and that six months after that Lee became known through drama and even shot an electronics commercial, recounting the emotional moment.
Lee Pil-mo's family history is also revealed. Recalling his mother who raised three children through frugality, he said that in his childhood the family was poor and survived a week on two salted mackerel and at one time could not pay for milk lunch fees. He later gave his mother his appearance fees for 20 years, and said his mother used that money to purchase a house, surprising his close friends. He then expressed gratitude to Lee Jong-hyuk, who stayed with him through the funeral into the early morning after his mother, who toiled all her life, passed away in 2023 and helped with the carry-out. He said he still keeps the clothes his mother wore in life and expressed longing for his mother, and added the sad note that he has not yet told his father, whose memory is not intact, that his mother has passed away.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-kyo confessed that his father, who had been the director of a general hospital, was swindled out of a large amount, became a monk, and after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer passed away, showing regret that he could not show his father his success on SNL Korea and eventually becoming teary-eyed.
Channel A's 'Close friends tokyumentary – 4-person table', a time to look into a star's life with close friends, airs every Monday at 8:10 p.m.
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