South Korean “Drama Queen” Hwang Jung-eum (황정음) rose to fame through the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof, which led to a flood of advertising offers and an increase of 4 billion Korean won in her bank account in just six months. She later starred in hit dramas like She Was Pretty and Kill Me, Heal Me, gaining immense popularity across Asia. However, Hwang recently shared an update on her personal YouTube channel, admitting that her acting income has dropped to zero. To make ends meet, she has sold all her gold, including the gold ornaments her two sons received for their first birthday celebrations, and even canceled insurance policies to cover expenses. Beyond her financial situation, she also spoke about her ex-boyfriend of nine years, Kim Yong-jun (김용준), a member of SG Wannabe, confessing they haven't met by chance since their breakup and adding, “I also kind of want to see Yong-jun.” Furthermore, after a prolonged nine-year divorce battle, she explicitly stated that she never wants to marry again, sparking widespread discussion about her current emotional and life circumstances.
On October 21, Hwang Jung-eum uploaded a new video to her personal YouTube channel, answering various fan questions in a Q&A format and sharing updates on her recent life and relationships. When asked about her current income sources, given her hiatus from acting, she candidly replied, “My income is 0 won.” She admitted that this is the first time since she was 26 that she has had absolutely no income, which initially left her feeling quite bewildered. She even stated, “I was really flustered and scared.”
Discussing how she manages to live, Hwang Jung-eum revealed that she has sold all the gold she owned, including the gold ornaments her two sons, Wang-sik and Kang-sik, received for their first birthday celebrations. She also mentioned canceling her insurance policies, explaining, “After canceling, I received a good amount of money, and I’m relying on that to get by, little by little.” Once a top actress in the drama scene, her confession of zero income and resorting to selling gold and canceling insurance to cover living expenses has drawn public attention to her current financial situation.
Beyond her financial status, Hwang Jung-eum was also asked about her past relationships in the video. She and Kim Yong-jun went public with their relationship in 2006, dating for nine years and becoming known as one of the representative long-term couples in the Korean entertainment industry. In 2009, they even appeared as a real-life couple on the MBC variety show We Got Married, gaining considerable affection from viewers, before ultimately announcing their breakup in 2015.
When asked if she had ever run into Kim Yong-jun by chance since their breakup, Hwang Jung-eum replied, “Not once. I also kind of want to see Yong-jun.” The production team then suggested that they might have spent their youngest and most beautiful years together, to which she smiled faintly and responded, “Anyway, Yong-jun is a friend with whom I have many beautiful memories. If I were to meet him by chance on the street, I would happily greet him.” Her words conveyed a sense of nostalgia for their past relationship, bringing renewed attention to the romance that once captivated the entertainment world.
However, when it came to marriage, Hwang Jung-eum’s attitude was starkly different. After enduring a nine-year divorce battle, she seems to have completely lost faith in marriage, directly telling viewers, “Don’t get married. I don’t want to get married again for the rest of my life!” She also admitted that she is now completely an “anti-marriage advocate,” believing that cohabitation is perfectly fine, but she no longer wants to be bound by legal relationships. She expressed her frustration, saying, “Cohabitation is okay, but I don’t want to be tied down by the law. Getting a divorce took nine years.”
From her past peak in the entertainment industry with astonishing income to now admitting zero income and relying on selling gold to survive, Hwang Jung-eum’s recent situation is surprising. Her simultaneous nostalgia for her ex-boyfriend of nine years and her firm rejection of marriage reveal a significant shift in her mindset after enduring emotional turmoil.
