Korean Entertainer An Sun-young Reflects on Past Struggles and Caring for Her Mother with Dementia

Korean entertainer An Sun-young has opened up about her past struggles with poverty until the age of 49 and her experiences caring for her mother with dementia.

On the 4th, the channel 'This is An Sun-young' released a video titled "Saying 'This' Makes You Look Shabby Even with Luxury Goods."

In the video, An Sun-young discussed her views on what it means to be a 'true rich person.' She candidly revealed, "Even when I was draped in luxury goods, I still looked shabby," and added, "Honestly, I needed to earn money. I lived in poverty until I was 49," capturing viewers' attention with her unexpected confession.

She admitted, "I earned a lot from my salary and appearance fees, but I couldn't refuse any broadcast offers because I was afraid of losing connections with industry people," acknowledging her 'poverty of the heart.'

An Sun-young reflected on the pressure she felt, saying, "I was worried that if I refused, people would speak ill of me elsewhere. Guilt, responsibility, and obligation weighed me down."

She shared that her perspective completely changed at 50. "Turning 50 was great because I faced all sorts of adversities at 49," she said. "My mother, who was between early and severe dementia, suffered a stroke, leading to severe cognitive impairment and incontinence. She was tied up like an animal in the hospital because she was causing disturbances. I witnessed the collapse of basic human dignity."

She realized the importance of health, stating, "I learned that when health is lost, the health of the entire family crumbles, and money becomes useless. I regretted not having long-term care insurance, but fortunately, we managed to cover the enormous hospital bills. If we hadn't had the funds to ensure my mother could use the bathroom independently, she would have remained tied up."

Born in 1976, An Sun-young debuted as a comedian in 2000 through MBC's 11th open recruitment. She married a businessman in 2013 and gave birth to a son in 2016. Recently, she made headlines by moving to Canada for her son's education. She clarified rumors of immigration, stating, "I'm not immigrating. I'm temporarily relocating to Canada as a guardian for my son's studies." She currently splits her time between Korea and Canada and became a building owner in 2022 after purchasing a five-story building in Seoul's Mapo District for approximately 2.9 billion won.

Reporter: Na-yeon Cho, Ten Asia nybluebook@tenasia.co.kr