Lee Cheol-ho, the vocalist of the band Love and Peace, revealed his mother, who at 94 is losing her memory to dementia.
On the first episode of MBN's variety show Unforgettable Duet, which aired on the 5th, Lee Cheol-ho, vocalist of the band Love and Peace who is beloved for the hit song 'Han-dongan Tteumhaesseotji,' appeared with his elderly mother.
Lee Cheol-ho's mother, Kim Jeong-ok, is 94 this year and although her hair was snowy white she showed a bright complexion and a pleasant impression. However, she was losing her memory due to dementia. The Unforgettable Duet production team prepared and presented a 'memory bus' filled with the mother's memories for Lee Cheol-ho and his mother. The 'memory bus' included a headset familiar to the mother from when she worked at a U.S. military base, a frequently used cup, and unforgettable photographs.
Among them, Lee Cheol-ho pointed to a photo in a frame and asked, "Who might this be?" The photo showed the mother dressed in hanbok in the past posing with a young man wearing a graduation cap. When the mother said, "Cheol-ho?" Lee Cheol-ho corrected her, saying, "Cheol-ho is here. Who went to Chung-Ang University?"
The mother, struggling to recall, replied, "Myeong-ho?" It turned out to be the youngest son, Lee Myeong-ho, who had passed away earlier. Despite her hazy memory, the elderly mother managed to recall her son who had died. She then confessed, "He graduated from Chung-Ang University and got a job at a press company, but not long after he just left. He unexpectedly fell ill and left. So I cried for several days."
Jo Hye-ryeon sympathized, saying, "Even if memories fade, a son buried in the heart surfaced." Lee Cheol-ho also said, "My mother never talks to me about my younger brother. But today she even talked about him, so I was surprised," expressing emotion that his mother briefly recovered memories through the memory bus.
Meanwhile, Lee Cheol-ho cared for his late brother's children together with his mother. Lee Cheol-ho recalled, "I couldn't have imagined my brother would leave so soon. Still, he left the kids behind. They aren't my children. A nephew came to the house at 11 and started living with us. We lived together. More than I raised them. The kids listened well. They grew up so well that I'm still thankful. We lived harmoniously, we were so happy living together."
In fact, Lee Cheol-ho, now 74, has remained unmarried and has been caring for his mother alone. In the past he even took care of his nephews. Chang Yoon-jung expressed regret, saying, "It seems you missed the chance to marry because of that lifestyle." Lee Cheol-ho, however, added with a laugh that deepened the poignancy, "I just don't marry; living like this with my mother is my happiness."
[Photo] Provided by MBN.
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