Choi Soo-jong in 'Puzzle Trip' Recalls Father, Breaks Down in Tears: 'Felt Like My Heart Was Ripped Apart'

Actor Choi Soo-jong became emotional on MBN's 'Puzzle Trip' as he recalled his late father while hearing the story of Mike, an adoptee from overseas.

'Puzzle Trip', a special three-part series celebrating MBN's 30th anniversary, is a reality travel program documenting the journeys of overseas adoptees who come to Korea to find their lost pieces of puzzle: 'self' and 'family'. Selected for production support in the public non-drama category by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2025, the show offers a rollercoaster of emotions through the experiences of adoptees and their star puzzle guides.

During the broadcast, the reunion of overseas adoptee Mike and his mother, after 49 years apart, was depicted. Upon seeing her son approach from a distance, the mother immediately recognized him, ran towards him, and embraced him in tears. Witnessing this, Choi Soo-jong expressed his deep empathy, saying, "It felt like my heart was ripped apart."

Moved by Mike and his mother's reunion, Choi Soo-jong confessed his own longing for his father, stating, "I always miss my father." He reminisced about his childhood when, at 15, his father retired and the family immigrated to South America, leaving him alone in Korea to continue his studies. He shared that he briefly met his father again after growing up, but his father soon left overseas again for work, eventually passing away abroad. The actor became tearful, regretting not being able to be by his father's side in his final moments.

Singer Yang Ji-eun also carefully shared her own experience, having lost her father in August last year. "I think of my father often," she said, shedding tears at the sight of Mike and his mother reuniting, a moment she described as unforgettable and deeply moving.

The emotional reunion between Mike and his mother after 49 years, along with Choi Soo-jong's heartbreaking story about his father, will be revealed in the upcoming episode of 'Puzzle Trip' airing this Thursday, the 4th, at 10:20 PM.

Korean netizens reacted with comments such as, 'Hearing Choi Soo-jong's story about his father made me tear up too,' 'The scene of Mike reuniting with his mother was truly touching ㅠㅠ,' and 'I always get emotional watching Puzzle Trip.'