The struggles he saw were unimaginable.
Queen of Tears actor Park Sung Hoon got candid about his family’s financial hardships in a recent interview.
In the most recent episode of the tvN program Hangout With Yoo, the actor addressed the rumors that he comes from a wealthy family, revealing that it couldn’t be farther from the truth. In reality, his father lost his job during the IMF, which pushed his family into extreme poverty when he was in high school. He relayed one particularly painful anecdote that put his parent’s situation into proper perspective for him.
Park recalled that during his military service, he was able to take his first day off in eight months and excitedly called his mother. Instead of the expected joyous reaction, she was somewhat troubled and asked him, “Sunghoon-ah, can you not take the day off?”
Explaining the reason behind her request, Park’s mother told him that she and his father were surviving off of just kimchi and water. If Park visited home, she wouldn’t be able to offer him even the smallest amount of pocket money, which was unacceptable to her.
That phone call made Park really close to home as he was left shocked at how badly his parents were struggling with money. “After the phone call, I think I cried a lot,” he recalled.
Fans were left heartbroken by this story but also felt proud of all his achievements to date, wishing him even bigger success in the future.
