Acclaimed K-drama actor Jung Il Woo has opened up about his rarely discussed family background, one that connects him to prestigious figures in cultural heritage, academia, journalism, and medicine. The revelation has sparked widespread interest, especially as the actor had kept these details private since his debut nearly two decades ago.
During his appearance on KBS2’s Problem Child in House, while promoting his weekend drama Brilliant Days, Jung Il Woo spoke candidly about his family for the first time. The first person he spotlighted was his mother, and viewers were left stunned.
“My mother is currently a Cultural Heritage Committee member at the Cultural Heritage Administration. She earned her doctorate in China and also researched ancient textiles in Korea,” he shared, reports Koreaboo.
Not only is his mother an academic, but she also serves as the head of the Ancient Textile Research Institute. She is one of only seven cultural heritage experts in Korea responsible for evaluating holders of Intangible Cultural Properties and Human Cultural Assets.
Jung Il Woo explained that his mother’s deep sense of culture and aesthetics had influenced his own artistic journey.
He revealed that while filming Diary of a Night Watchman, his mother personally designed the patterns for his hanbok costumes. He even credits his early casting success to her fashion sense.
“When I auditioned for High Kick Through the Roof, I wore a leather jacket my mother bought me, and I got cast in that. Whenever I had an audition, my mother would pick out or make clothes for me.”
Jung’s father also comes from a distinguished background. He was the captain of his high school kendo club, later becoming a KBS reporter, and eventually a distinguished university professor. His career spanned both journalism and academia, adding another layer to the family’s remarkable legacy.
One of the most striking revelations was that Jung Il Woo is a direct descendant of the renowned Joseon-era scholar Jeong Yak Yong (Dasan), one of Korea’s most influential thinkers, philosophers, and reformists.
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Jung also shared that his maternal grandfather was a highly respected figure in the medical community, serving as the director of a major general hospital.
With a mother in cultural heritage research, a father in journalism and academia, and a grandfather in medicine, the actor indeed hails from an elite and intellectually rich family.
Jung Il Woo emphasised that despite his family’s prestigious background, he had always wanted to succeed based on his own merit. This was one of the reasons he kept these details private for 19 years.
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