Comedian Lee Young-ja attended the wedding of her close friend the late Choi Jin-sil's daughter, Choi Joon-hee, and beamed.
Choi Joon-hee held the wedding on the 16th at a hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, marrying a non-celebrity man 11 years her senior after a long relationship.
At the wedding, Choi Jin-sil's close friends Hong Jin Kyung, Lee Sora, Uhm Jung-hwa and Jung Sun-hee attended; they sat together at one table and gave Choi Joon-hee, who lost both parents early, an outpouring of heartfelt congratulations. However, Lee Young-ja, who had shared a deep friendship with the late actress while alive, did not appear in SNS posts or the bride's commemorative photos, increasing curiosity.
After the wedding, Choi Joon-hee posted a two-shot on her personal SNS of her and her aunt Lee Young-ja posing affectionately, drawing attention. Lee Young-ja appeared with her signature hairstyle and, posing a V sign with Choi Joon-hee, who is like a daughter to her, celebrated the happy day. Hong Jin Kyung wore sunglasses because she cried heavily, but Lee Young-ja smiled broadly, her face full of happiness.
Earlier, the "national actress" Choi Jin-sil was found dead at her home on Oct. 2, 2008, shocking the nation. She was 40.
Lee Young-ja, who was a close friend of Choi Jin-sil, came to the house at the time and sobbed, and was one of the people who grieved more than anyone.
Recently, on tvN STORY's Namgyeoseo Mwogahae, when Jung Sun-hee, who was part of the "Choi Jin-sil family," appeared as a guest, Lee Young-ja said, "From my position, I reproach myself that I couldn't help even when Jin-sil went all the way like that," and added, "If there had been better people, wouldn't they have held her back?"
Jung Sun-hee said, "I couldn't bring a proper closure with sister Young-ja. Between sister and me..." and added, "One of the reasons I wanted to appear on this program was to sort through things."
Also, after Choi Jin-sil passed away, Lee Young-ja never forgot to mourn, regularly attending memorial services with the young Hwanhee and Joon-hee siblings every year. She continued for years to show her longing for a friend while taking care of her close friend's children, even when family matters were not easy.
In the past, Choi Jin-sil's eldest son, Choi Hwan-hee, appeared on Kang Ho-dong's Babsim, and at that time Lee Young-ja and Hong Jin Kyung sent video messages to cheer him on. In an exclusive interview with OSEN, Choi Hwan-hee expressed gratitude, saying, "Aunts Lee Young-ja and Hong Jin Kyung sincerely gave me advice, and I was very moved. I really didn't expect the video messages. I'll take the advice and work hard."
Meanwhile, Choi Joon-hee is the youngest daughter born to the late Choi Jin-sil and former baseball player Cho Sung-min. She plans to go on her honeymoon to Los Angeles, U.S., after the wedding and is active as an influencer.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS, capture of "Sora and Jin Kyung"
[OSEN]