Lee Hye-jung reconciles with mother after years of resentment

Broadcaster Lee Hye-jung addressed long-held resentment toward her mother during a trip to Gyeongju, where she revealed how her mother's past opposition to her culinary studies and Girl Scouts participation shaped her life. The two found reconciliation at Cheomseongdae Observatory after her mother praised her for living well.

Because they are the closest people to us, they can sometimes cause the deepest wounds. During a trip to Gyeongju, broadcaster Lee Hye-jung unraveled the emotional knots in her heart by expressing the long-held resentment she had harbored toward her mother.

The journey, as reported by TV CHOSUN JOY, captures the process of reflecting on the past while visiting Cheomseongdae Observatory in Gyeongju and confirming each other's true feelings while spending time together. While looking at Cheomseongdae Observatory, Lee Hye-jung recalled memories of being with her father during her childhood and calmly confessed the conflicts she felt in her relationship with her mother.

"The mother who blocked my culinary studies"... A record of suppressed dreams and resentment

During the trip, Lee Hye-jung directly mentioned that her mother had blocked her path. "In truth, I have had resentment throughout my life that my mother blocked my path," she said, adding that if her mother had not opposed it, she would have gone to study culinary arts abroad as planned. Imagining how she might have built her own career through systematic culinary studies, she shared her inner feelings regarding the consequences of her mother's opposition.

It appears her mother was strict enough to oppose even Lee Hye-jung's participation in Girl Scouts. Recalling the memory, Lee Hye-jung said, "Mom always said I couldn't do Girl Scouts, and I wonder why I couldn't." She emphasized that culinary arts was an important field of study rather than mere housework, expressing complex emotions that her mother's opposition might have actually made her stronger.

"You are wiser than I am": Mother's belated recognition and praise

Throughout her life, Lee Hye-jung lived craving the recognition and praise of her parents more than any other praise in the world. She confessed, "No matter who in the world praised me, if my mother and father recognized and praised me, that was everything." However, it appears her mother always applied strict standards rather than discovering her daughter's strengths.

Amidst these conflicts, her mother offered unexpected recognition to her daughter. Her mother affirmed the life her daughter has led by choosing her own path, saying to Lee Hye-jung, "You are much wiser than I am. You are living well." Expressing her overwhelming emotions, Lee Hye-jung described this moment of being praised for her life by her mother as "a business deal that yields 5 million times the profit."

From protector to being protected: The changing distance between mother and daughter

At the end of the trip, Lee Hye-jung explained the change in how she views her mother. While her mother was once someone she feared and felt lost around because she did not know what she would say, she now feels she has the courage to approach her and ask how she is doing. "Now, I feel like I can approach Mom as much as I want and ask how she is," she said.

Lee Hye-jung felt that she had become a "daughter being protected by her mother" rather than a "protector protecting her mother." Following the completion of the trip, the mother and daughter confirmed their closer relationship by taking a photo together alongside a gift provided by the production team, leaving their resentment behind.

Source: TVCHOSUN JOY (YouTube)