Lee Jung Reflects on Retirement Struggles Due to Fraud and Illness... "In the End, What I Gained Was a Loved One"

Singer Lee Jung looked back on the turbulent trajectory of his life, calmly expressing his feelings about the precious values he gained during a time when he had lost everything. In the original content 'Van Live' released on the 26th on the YouTube channel 'Miss & Mister Trot', host Ahn Sung-hoon met singer Lee Jung to share behind-the-scenes stories.

From 7Dayz Debut to the Bad News of a Member... Time That Stopped

Lee Jung recalled his past debut with the group 7Dayz and shared the hardships of that time. During the conversation with Ahn Sung-hoon, Lee Jung mentioned the situation of debuting as a group during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. He suggested that there were difficulties in activities at the time because public attention was focused on the World Cup. 7Dayz was a group formed through the connections of actor Choi Young-joon, who was Ahn Sung-hoon's schoolmate, and a composer friend, and they began activities dreaming of being the Backstreet Boys or Boyz II Men of Korea.

In particular, Lee Jung confessed the psychological pain he experienced during the process of re-debuting as solo singer 'Lee Jung' after the group activities. He mentioned the accident of group member Jae-ho, saying, "From that time, time has actually stopped." Lee Jung revealed the sense of loss at the time, saying, "I have been living with the guilt for over 20 years that if it hadn't been me, Jae-ho wouldn't have had to go."

Business Failure in Jeju Island and the Moment He Decided to Retire

Detailed stories continued regarding the period when he sought a new life in Jeju Island outside of his musical activities. Lee Jung explained the background of how he settled in Jeju Island upon the recommendation of an acquaintance, after considering immigrating to Hawaii to temporarily set aside music to live a different life after being discharged from the military. Having started a business by running a studio and a coffee shop in Jeju Island around 2012, he conveyed the situation at the time, saying, "It went so well as soon as it opened that I was even worried about the interior design."

However, unexpected variables shook his life. Lee Jung revealed the process of eventually closing the business as deficits continued after saying, "Just as the business was about to settle down, COVID-19 arrived." He confessed that he seriously considered retirement due to the economic and psychological difficulties at the time, stating, "I was stressed, lost people, and lost money. It all ended with me even incurring bank debt." Lee Jung completely left the work and went down in either 2016 or 2017, and for the following 2 to 3 years, he spent time doing nothing for himself.

"I Lost Everything but Gained One Thing"... A Fated Meeting and Marriage

The answer Lee Jung found during the time he lost everything was 'family' and 'love.' Passing through the ups and downs of life, Lee Jung said, "Thinking about it now, I know the reason I did business. It was to meet my wife," and said that despite experiencing business failure and economic loss, meeting his current spouse is the greatest gift of his life. He expressed his feelings that as long as he has a healthy body and a loved one, rather than money or people around him, it is as good as life being complete.

Lee Jung also mentioned his fated meeting with his spouse. He explained the background of deciding to marry only one month after meeting, saying, "With this person, I felt certain that I should get married." Lee Jung conveyed his decisiveness at the time, showing his actions to give certainty to his partner, saying, "I told my mother-in-law and immediately suggested we live together." He added that he completed the marriage registration one month after meeting, and held the wedding long after COVID-19 had passed.