Announcer-turned-broadcaster Bae Ji-hyun candidly shared her true feelings about the career interruption she experienced after marriage.
On the 21st, a video titled "The monster pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin's game jinx that even prevents family members from wearing clothes as they please" was uploaded to the YouTube channel '형수는 K.WILL'. In the video, Bae Ji-hyun appeared as a guest and spoke candidly about her life after marriage, life in the United States, and her childbirth experiences.
Bae Ji-hyun recalled the time after marriage when she stopped broadcasting and lived abroad, saying, "I think I was very brave then. Even if I got married and went abroad, I thought there would be a chance to broadcast again someday." She added, "I also had a vague expectation that, since I married a baseball player, I would continue to do work connected to baseball."
However, she said her thinking changed after childbirth. Bae Ji-hyun said, "After having a child and seeing working mothers, I wondered whether the gap had become too long," and added, "From then on, professional concerns rushed in."
She also honestly spoke about the pressure of appearing on baseball-related broadcasts. She said, "Because my husband is a baseball player, talking about Ryu Hyun-jin on baseball broadcasts is actually more burdensome," and added, "I do get offers, but it's awkward to mention my husband as a player, so it's not easy." She went on to say, "My husband doesn't tell me to do it, and there is a feeling that he hopes I won't, so I ended up yielding more."
Bae Ji-hyun also revealed that she obtained a Major League agent license after marriage. She explained, "In the first year of marriage I had relatively more free time, so I tried studying," and said, "It is a role that can help with player care, administration, and financial work, but it overlapped a lot with the things I was already doing."
Meanwhile, Bae Ji-hyun also shared that she gave birth to both children in the United States. She recalled that she gave birth to her first child in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, "Borders were closed, and although we had appointments at a Toronto hospital, I gave birth at a hospital I was visiting for the first time in my life." She explained, "In the U.S., cesarean sections are not performed readily, and rooming-in after birth is standard, so only one guardian could be with me."
She also laughed, saying, "After delivery, the meal was bread, juice and ice water, which was a culture shock," and K.WILL expressed surprise, saying, "If that had been Korea, it would have been something to talk about for life."
Bae Ji-hyun said, "My husband always feels sorry that he couldn't properly help with postpartum care," and added, "Still, I recovered healthily."
Meanwhile, Bae Ji-hyun married Ryu Hyun-jin in 2018 and has a daughter and a son. Ryu Hyun-jin left the major leagues in 2024 and returned to the domestic stage by signing an eight-year deal worth 17 billion won with Hanwha Eagles.<
[Photo] OSEN DB / YouTube capture
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