On the October 30th episode of KBS 1TV's 'Morning Yard', Choi Seok-gu and his wife Cha Kyung-ah, who overcame a 17-year age gap to marry, appeared as guests. Celebrating their fourth year of marriage, Cha Kyung-ah shared, "There are still more good things than not. It's better now than when we first got married."
Choi Seok-gu first met his in-laws 10 years ago during the filming of '6 O'Clock My Hometown' on Daenanjido Island. At the time, his father-in-law was the village chief, and his mother-in-law ran a pension. Two years later, during another filming session, his mother-in-law suggested introducing him to her daughter. Although Choi Seok-gu initially responded, "Celebrities don't reveal their age," his mother-in-law insisted, mentioning her youngest daughter was 37 years old. However, Cha Kyung-ah reportedly declined the offer during a phone call.
The connection was rekindled around Chuseok in 2021 when Choi Seok-gu received a text from his father-in-law. Choi explained, "My mother-in-law is quite direct, so she called right away, and my wife seemed upset. Four years passed, and around Chuseok 2021, I got a message saying, 'Stay healthy and well.' It was from my father-in-law. He said, 'My daughter wants to talk to you. Why aren't you married yet?' I replied, 'Your daughter isn't married either. Should we meet?' Remembering being turned down seven years ago, I said, 'If you give me her contact, I'll reach out.' And they did."
Choi Seok-gu also shared the confusion regarding his age on portal sites. "My in-laws didn't know my exact age. The portal lists me as born in 1969, but I was actually born in 1963. They thought a 12-year age gap was acceptable, but my wife's sisters found out and were shocked," he said.
Cha Kyung-ah admitted her initial reluctance to meet Choi. "Honestly, I didn't like the big age difference. When my mom first contacted me, I wasn't interested. I even had a boyfriend," she revealed. "Even when they reached out again, I wasn't thinking about marriage, and I felt pressured because he was on TV. Despite my parents' insistence, I wasn't interested," she added.
The journey to their first meeting wasn't smooth either. Choi Seok-gu mentioned that Cha Kyung-ah canceled their meetings three times. Cha explained, "The first two times, I lied. It was hard to meet. But the third time, my uncle really passed away. At the funeral, my mom said I should meet him at least once, so I did it like a homework assignment."
By Min-kyung Lee, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr