Nam Bo-ra Recounts Struggles as Eldest Daughter of 13 Siblings: 'Tightening of Belts Began in 4th Grade'

Actress Nam Bo-ra has candidly shared the unique challenges she faced as the eldest daughter in a family of 13 children.

On the MBN entertainment program 'Dongchimi's Full Speed Ahead,' during a segment titled 'Do You Know the Life of a K-Eldest Daughter?', Nam Bo-ra began by saying, "I was a beneficiary. Until 10 more siblings were born!"

She revealed that she and her older brothers received many privileges, attending private schools and benefiting from her mother's active involvement in their education. However, she recalled that a period of 'tightening belts' began around the fourth grade of elementary school.

When Kim Yong-man asked how many siblings were born around that time, Nam Bo-ra replied that the family's financial situation started to become difficult with the birth of her seventh sibling. Noh Sa-yeon inquired if she had ever asked her parents to stop having more children, to which Nam Bo-ra admitted she had requested this when the eleventh sibling arrived, but to no avail.

Nam Bo-ra particularly noted that while the youngest siblings enjoyed top-tier baby products, she and her older siblings did not experience the same luxuries. Her thirteenth sibling was born when she was twenty years old, meaning she entered university as a new sibling arrived.

Furthermore, Nam Bo-ra shared a humorous anecdote from her mother's childbirth experience. She recounted how her mother had to essentially direct the delivery herself due to the inexperience of a new head nurse at the hospital, which drew laughter from the panel.

Nam Bo-ra first gained public attention as the eldest daughter of 13 siblings through appearances on TV shows like MBC's 'Sunday Sunday Night - Chorus of Angels' before debuting as an actress. She married a businessman of the same age in May of this year, marking a new chapter in her life.

Nam Bo-ra first gained attention in 2004 for her role as the eldest daughter in the MBC show 'Sunday Sunday Night - Chorus of Angels,' leading to her acting debut in the 2006 sitcom 'High Kick!' She married a non-celebrity businessman, her peer, in May 2023 after two years of dating.