“Even just seeing a plane brings on a flood of tears” ... A crisis hits Kim Hye-seon and her husband after six years [Health Talk]

[Financial News] Homesickness caused by living away from home or moving abroad is increasingly being recognized as a mental health condition that threatens adults’ daily lives and physical health, going beyond mere sentimental longing.
In a recent broadcast, comedian Kim Hye-seon’s German husband, Stefan Ziegel, spoke about the profound isolation and severe homesickness he had experienced during his six years living in Korea, prompting sympathy. Stefan holds a master’s degree from the prestigious Berlin Institute of Technology and would have been a talented professional with a high salary assured at a well-known major company had he stayed in Germany. But after marrying Kim Hye-seon in 2018, he gave up everything he had built and chose to move to Korea.
His early years in Korea were marked by one bout of isolation after another. Unable to speak any Korean at all, he had no one to interact with other than his wife, so he had to accompany her even to meetings for comedy programs. He dealt with meals alone every day, swallowing his deep sadness. The loneliness he had worked hard to endure without resenting his wife had, six years on, hardened into such intense homesickness that even seeing a plane pass overhead brought tears to his eyes.
An episode that laid bare the psychological toll he was experiencing was when he broke down in tears after reading a letter his elderly parents had left on his bed before returning to Germany following a visit to Korea a month earlier. “My parents are elderly and in poor health, and I want to be there to help them. I want to live in Germany again,” Stefan said, his eyes welling up. Kim Hye-seon also sobbed, saying, “I feel as though I’ve torn the family apart because of me.”

Psychiatric experts diagnose adult homesickness, such as Stefan’s, when accompanied by language barriers and the loss of social connections, as “adjustment disorder” caused by environmental change rather than mere sentimental longing. They explain that the loss felt after giving up career achievements and opportunities for self-fulfillment in one’s home country can worsen into complex psychological exhaustion (burnout), compounded by anxiety about caring for elderly parents and guilt.
When homesickness becomes chronic, stress hormone levels surge, and it can develop into physical symptoms such as chronic fatigue, indigestion and insomnia. In severe cases, the risk of developing lethargy or major depressive disorder is high. For those who tend to bottle up their pain because they do not want to burden their families, the internal pressure can reach even more dangerous levels.
Specialists agree that psychological distress experienced while living away from home should not be suppressed or left unaddressed as “something everyone goes through.” The first step in overcoming homesickness is to stop blaming oneself for longing for one’s hometown and family as a sign of weakness, and instead recognize and accept it as a natural emotional response to environmental change.
Open communication with family and those around them is also essential. People should speak honestly with their spouse or family about feelings of isolation and psychological anxiety, and create a supportive environment where they can explore realistic solutions together instead of resorting to self-blame or resentment. At the same time, they should build new social connections by joining communities in their area where language is less of a barrier or where they can share common interests, and work to regain their physical vitality through regular exercise and daily routines. It can also help to ease vague separation anxiety by scheduling regular video calls or specific visits with family who live far away.
However, if daily functioning noticeably declines despite these efforts, or insomnia and low mood persist for two weeks or longer, people should not rely solely on their own perseverance. They should seek professional medical help from a psychiatrist, such as psychological counseling or medication.

[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter