Kim Seon-jin, the late Jo Min-gi's wife and a makeup artist, who lost her husband after he took his own life amid the Me Too controversy, revealed her whereabouts about seven years after his death. But netizens are sharply divided over her appearance on television.
Kim Seon-jin recently appeared as a participant on the Coupang Play original variety show "Just Makeup." She was to be judged by beauty YouTuber Lee Sa-bae and makeup artist Lee Jin-su, but she drew attention by bursting into tears before she even began explaining her makeup. Seeing this, Lee Sa-bae also had moist eyes.
It turned out the two had a special connection in the past. When Lee Sa-bae first started working at a makeup shop, the shop owner was Kim Seon-jin. Lee Sa-bae said, "When I first joined the shop, she was the owner. Being on the same stage now stirred up many emotions."
In an interview, Kim Seon-jin also said, "Old memories must have come back to both of us. Those memories will remain, and those feelings seem to have turned into tears. Recently I only ran the shop, so I took a long break from actual makeup. My confidence fell, but you never forget what you learned with your body," expressing her feelings about returning after a long time.
As a result of the judging that day, Kim Seon-jin was eliminated by both Lee Sa-bae and Lee Jin-su and had to leave the program with regret. However, her presence stood out more after the broadcast. It was because of the stigma left by her husband Jo Min-gi.
In February 2018, the Me Too movement flared up across the cultural and arts world as people exposed sexual assault by those in power. Among them, students at Cheongju University came forward one after another saying they had been sexually assaulted by Jo Min-gi, who was a professor in the theater department. The victims wanted him punished, and Jo Min-gi reversed his initial denial and issued an apology eight days after the scandal broke. But three days before an investigation, on March 9, 2018, he took his own life near his home, and the investigation was closed with no charges. The incident caused painful times for Jo Min-gi's family as well. In particular, Kim Seon-jin faced backlash that year after she posted a photo on social media of herself visiting her husband's grave in November to celebrate his birthday.
Some viewers said, "Her courageous return after overcoming personal pain is moving," and sent messages of support, while others said, "I still vividly remember that her husband took his own life after the Me Too controversy, so I oppose the family's return to variety shows," expressing discomfort.
Kim Seon-jin stood on stage in her professional field as a makeup artist, but the label "Jo Min-gi's family" still follows her. <
[Photo] Coupang Play, OSEN DB
[OSEN]