‘Sundol-i’ Lee Geon-joo had an emotional reunion with her biological mother after 44 years.
On the 15th, the TV CHOSUN show ‘Dad and Me’ featured actress and shaman Lee Geon-joo as she sought out her mother after 44 years.
Through ‘Dad and Me’, Lee Geon-joo became curious about her mother, wondering, “What kind of person is my mom?” and decided to search for her.
First, Lee Geon-joo obtained a family relationship certificate and her mother’s resident registration from the community center, and her expression suddenly hardened. As she had vaguely guessed, her mother was living in Gangwon-do, and she had siblings from her mother’s remarriage. Lee Geon-joo expressed her confusion, saying, “I don’t even know who they are, and our last names are different, but they are listed together in the documents.”
Lee Geon-joo discussed meeting her mother and her great-aunt, who raised her since she was two years old. According to her great-aunt, Lee Geon-joo’s parents registered their marriage without a wedding ceremony to put their suddenly born child on the family register. At that time, her father, who was 22, had to enlist in the military, leaving her 20-year-old mother to give birth alone at her in-laws' home, and their marriage ended shortly after.
Lee Geon-joo shared her concerns, saying, “My mother’s new family might not know about my existence, and I worry that I might cause confusion in her household.” Her great-aunt advised, “Your mother is not the type to keep such things a secret,” and encouraged her, saying, “It’s natural to seek out your bloodline. I hope you can resolve the feelings in your heart.”
Finally, on the day she was to meet her biological mother after 44 years, Lee Geon-joo confessed, “Even while driving there, I worried a lot about whether it was okay for me to go.” When her mother finally appeared, saying, “Geon-joo, it’s mom... I really missed you,” Lee Geon-joo embraced her mother, who was in tears, and also felt her eyes welling up as she thought, “So this person is my mom.”
