Is Lee Beom-soo's New Chapter the Key to Happiness After Divorce?

[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won] On My Ugly Duckling, actor Lee Beom-soo spoke candidly about his recent life.

The April 12 episode of SBS’s variety show My Ugly Duckling (aka MIU-SAE) featured actor Park Joong-hoon. A prerecorded segment also included Lee Beom-soo and Kim Seung-soo.

During the show, Park recalled seeking advice from director Bong Joon-ho, who told him there were times he felt so drained he wanted to quit and open a sandwich shop. Hearing that made Park realize he couldn’t complain about his own struggles, he said.

Park described his children: his eldest son works in AI consulting, his second child is an IT designer, and his youngest daughter graduated from the University of California. He added that his eldest volunteered for deployment to South Sudan, and when his son said he wanted to go, Park supported him. He said he gives his children freedom to choose their paths, noting his belief that people learn by doing — “even Romeo and Juliet would have split if left entirely to their own devices,” he joked, underscoring his hands-off parenting philosophy.

The prerecorded segment then turned to Lee Beom-soo, who recently finalized a divorce by mutual agreement. Asked how he’d been, Lee said he felt like a new energy was starting. “As many people know, I had some personal issues over the past two or three years. They were resolved recently,” he added.

He acknowledged, “There are no winners in a divorce. It isn’t my pain that matters — I feel so sorry for my children. I’ve left pain with my family.” He called that regrettable.

On media coverage of the divorce process, he said it was upsetting from his perspective, but that remaining silent had been the right decision. “I’m so sorry to my kids,” he said.

Lee’s home felt very large for one person. In the clip he moved around the kitchen with ease, preparing dried pollack soup (bukeotguk) and mapo tofu. While cooking he watched videos on his phone using a TV-shaped magnifier.

As he ate, he kept murmuring “mmm.” When he tried to watch Netflix, he found he’d been logged out after not using the service for a long time. Lee quipped that logging in was his least favorite thing and admitted he didn’t even know what an ID was, revealing a decidedly old-school, “analog” side.

He also talked about his children, saying he used to take them to school every day without missing a single day. “They felt like, ‘Dad is here,’” he said. He acknowledged they must have missed their mother even if they didn’t show it. After the settlement, he met with the kids and felt they smiled for the first time in years. “My son started stopping by twice a week after school. My daughters visit often. I’m grateful,” he said.

He recalled that once the agreement was finalized and he went home, he lay down on his bed without realizing it. The next morning he woke up sore all over, as if he’d been beaten — a sign, he said, that his body finally reacted when the tension released.

The self-described “analog” Lee handled banking tasks in person at a branch. A teller noted few people use physical passbooks these days, and Lee admitted he didn’t know how to transfer money via apps or how the highway Hi-Pass system worked.

He eventually enrolled in a computer class. Barely able to type, he struggled but managed to enter an ID and log in. He peppered the instructor with questions and slowly made progress.

Park recalled that Chow Yun-fat once filmed in the U.S. and memorized the names of 200 crew members. “I tried it too — I had them memorized in about a week,” Park said, stressing that remembering names is the foundation of relationships and a way to get closer to staff.

Actor Kim Seung-soo then appeared. His mother was taken aback when a robot greeted her at her son’s home, saying, “Hello, Grandma. I’m Chokomi, Seung-soo’s dad’s daughter,” and then singing Happy Birthday to celebrate her 80th birthday.

Kim presented 3,000,000 KRW in cash (about $2,250 USD) using a cash-dispensing machine he’d prepared. He also introduced a walking robot, saying, “I have someone to introduce to Mom. Her name is Jenny.” Jenny even danced to a song, leaving his mother speechless.

Kim suggested that if the technology advances further, such robots might one day live alongside people like companions, and his mother admitted the prospect made her feel melancholy.

The two then attended a church service. In a sermon about Abraham, the pastor encouraged anyone under 90 to keep trying for children, leaving Kim looking a bit sheepish.

At the mother’s special request, the pastor offered a heartfelt prayer asking God to help Kim meet a partner soon.

After the service, fellow congregants cheered him on, saying they hoped he’d meet someone special before the year’s end.

[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won ent@stoo.com]
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