Actor Park Joong-hoon Recalls First Meeting with Third-Generation Korean-Japanese Wife: 'She Looked Like Me'

Veteran actor Park Joong-hoon has shared a charming anecdote about his first encounter with his third-generation Korean-Japanese wife.

During a recent episode of Channel A's 'Close Friends' Table for Four,' Park Joong-hoon invited his friends, former basketball player Huh Jae and actor Kim Min-joon, to his home. The actor opened up about his decision to study abroad in the US at the height of his acting career.

He explained, "While being busy and popular was good, I felt my life wasn't entirely my own, from waking up to going to sleep. After filming, interviews, and more filming, I felt lost. I thought, 'What will happen if I just live my life in a daze?' So I wanted to reflect and study English." He added with a touch of self-deprecating humor, "At the time, it might have been intellectual vanity, but I thought getting a master's degree from NYU would be quite impressive, so I went to study abroad."

It was at New York University that he met his wife. "I got my master's there and met my wife there. She means a lot to me in many ways," he revealed, captivating the audience.

When asked by Park Kyung-lim if they met on the street, Park Joong-hoon recounted, "I went to a popular Japanese bar one weekend. Turns out, she used to work part-time there once a week as a bartender." He continued, "She looked quite similar to me. I liked her, so I asked her in English, 'Are you Korean?' She replied, 'I'm Korean.' When I asked if she spoke Korean, she said she couldn't. She was third-generation Korean-Japanese, so her first language was Japanese."

He further shared, "I went there for several weeks, but we couldn't quite set up a date. I thought that was it. But a month later, I was sitting in the university cafe, and she walked in. We were both surprised." This unexpected reunion eased his caution, leading to a successful date and eventually marriage. "I realized then that this must be fate," he said, explaining how their relationship rapidly progressed after discovering they were attending the same university.

Park Kyung-lim then inquired about the family introductions, to which Park Joong-hoon humorously detailed the linguistic challenges. "My parents spent their teens during the Japanese colonial era and spoke Japanese fluently until they passed away. My wife and I spoke in English, and my parents and I spoke in Korean. So, the four of us communicated in three languages!" he explained. "Now it's fine because we can speak Korean with each other, but it was difficult before. When we only had English, even arguments involved looking up words in a dictionary to express our feelings."

When asked if arguments ended quickly, he chuckled, "We'd end up laughing." Despite the humor, he added bashfully, "Even at our age, I still feel a bit shy talking about my wife."

Park Joong-hoon married his third-generation Korean-Japanese wife in 1994 and they have one son and two daughters.

Korean netizens reacted warmly to the story, with comments like "Park Joong-hoon is so cool," "The story of his first meeting with his wife is like a movie," and "A family introduction with three languages sounds so unique and interesting."