"Myself Like a Time Bomb..." Kwak Jung-eun Reveals Divorce Reason for the First Time

Broadcaster and columnist Kwak Jung-eun explaining the reason for her divorce 11 years ago in a video on her YouTube channel 'Kwak Jung-eun's Private Life' on the 26th. Photo by YouTube channel 'Kwak Jung-eun's Private Life' video capture

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Min Jun-young] Broadcaster and columnist Kwak Jung-eun revealed the reason for her divorce.

On the 26th, Kwak Jung-eun uploaded a video titled "Marriage Series Part 3 First Confession - I'll Tell You Why I Divorced (A Must-Read for Women Rushing into Marriage!)" on her YouTube channel 'Kwak Jung-eun's Private Life.'

Kwak said, "This happened long before 2011, but this experience still appears as a related search term, and whenever I write a column or appear on a broadcast to give advice, people say, 'Why does a divorced person give advice?'" She added, "I wanted to tell this someday. I will explain why I made that decision and what changes it brought to me."

Regarding the reason for her divorce, she said, "The first reason was my emotions. I didn't understand my own feelings well and was not familiar with emotions." She continued, "After turning thirty, I felt like I was a ticking time bomb."

She went on, "I prefer the term 'separation' rather than 'divorce' because it was a very autonomous decision that I wanted." She explained, "I thought that if I were alone five or ten years later, I would be left behind. As a working woman, Kwak Jung-eun was confident, but within Korean society, Kwak Jung-eun the woman had low self-esteem. I thought meeting someone, getting married like others, and establishing a certain system would bring stability."

She added, "Beliefs create thoughts, and thoughts create emotions. Constantly thinking that I had to get married made anxiety rise when I turned thirty." She said, "The results of unfortunate actions accumulate to create the outcome of our lives. I thought I had to immediately eliminate my loneliness in this way, so I made an impulsive choice. That's why I decided to get married in an instant."

Furthermore, Kwak Jung-eun said, "There are various ways of life, and accepting that my way is one of them brings comfort." She added, "Think about whether you can find comfort when you are alone. In that process, you will be able to meet someone who truly suits you and who can offer the maximum equality and autonomy possible within the current marriage system."

In closing, she said, "I hope my story about divorce will give strength and insight to friends around thirty who want to run away somewhere because of loneliness and anxiety."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.