Seong Hyeonju: "He had an accident at five, and I let him go at eight"—opens up about her first son for the first time

[Financial News] Comedian Seong Hyeonju shared her gratitude for and the comfort she received from her peers after recalling her first son, who passed away before her.
On the 5th, the YouTube channel 'Salty Brother Shin Dong-yup' released a video titled "The Legendary 22nd-Class MT, Part 2 [Salty Brother EP.165]: The Reality of a Comedians' Retreat."
The video featured the second part of an MT attended by Park Sung-kwang, Heo Kyung-hwan, Yang Sang-guk, Song Joon-geun, Jang Hyo-in and others from the 22nd class of comedians recruited by Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).
Shin Dong-yup congratulated Seong Hyeonju on the birth of her second child, saying, "Hyeonju recently gave birth to such a beautiful daughter."
Seong Hyeonju married in 2011 and had her first son, but he passed away in 2020 at the age of five. She later gave birth to her second daughter last year after undergoing in vitro fertilization.
Seong Hyeonju became teary-eyed as she recalled her first son. "Our child lived without regaining consciousness for about 1,000 days," she said. "I gave birth in 2014, he had an accident at five, and I let him go at eight."
She also opened up about memories from that time that she had never been able to fully share with her peers. Seong Hyeonju said, "This is something I had never told my peers before. When I was going through that period, I didn't want to expose the story too much, so I kept it well hidden. Our child passed away on Christmas Day. We stopped all the medications and waited. The time from the hospital room to the morgue was surprisingly short. When we arrived at the morgue, I closed my child's eyes for the last time. I turned around, and our entire 22nd-class cohort was standing there in long black padded coats." She shed tears as she spoke.
She also recalled how her peers stayed by her side throughout the funeral. "They all came quietly and stayed with us during the funeral. One scene still remains in my memory. On the day of the funeral procession, at 6:30 a.m., everyone was wearing masks because it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. All of my peers had arrived, and they were bowing their heads as the car carrying us drove away," she recalled.
Seong Hyeonju said that seeing them at the time made her feel she had to spend the rest of her life repaying their kindness. She said, "As I looked at them through the window, I thought I should spend the rest of my life repaying them. I haven't enjoyed wealth and fame as a comedian, but having gained such good friends made me think that becoming a comedian was truly the right choice. Thank you for giving me such great strength back then. Also, when there is a first-birthday celebration or a family occasion, you can invite me, but they don't because they are afraid it might remind me of my child. I would actually like to go to those events and actively celebrate with them. I hope everyone will feel comfortable around me."
Her peers, including Yang Sang-guk, encouraged Seong Hyeonju, saying, "We heard you're not holding a first-birthday celebration for your second child, but I hope you do." A video of the celebration for her second daughter, hosted by Yang Sang-guk and Heo Kyung-hwan, was later shown.

[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter