We see two types of aged women on Korean show series. A gracious ‘mother’ of lofty devotion or an ‘ajumma (a Korean word referring to a married or a middle-aged woman)’ butting in all sorts of matters of the neighborhood, speaking with noisy voice. Getting old means being someone different than before. Actresses who once used to be the symbol of beauty itself are often found after marriage to have become common funny-talking women at variety shows on TV. It seems quite natural that women fear of getting old because most of them are not sure if they could grow noble mother of devotion but do not want to turn such annoying ajumma. Then what could they be? It is time we desperately needed a senior role model for women. And here we see the Youn Yuh-jung syndrome. Korean women of today say they ‘want to grow old like Youn Yuh-jung.’ Do they really ‘want to grow old?’ Could women ever want to get old? Youn’s reaction to this syndrome in Live Talk Show Taxi: “They must be crazy. No need for a role-model! It’s enough they being themselves and I being myself!”
One of what distinguishes Youn from other senior actresses is that her image is far from a tender affectionate woman. She speaks good English and she is intelligent, smart and picky. She usually played an evil woman as young, and a career woman later. She is a divorcee actress, very rare in Korea in the past. She carried the image of a smart city woman for long. It was after she appeared on variety shows that people started to see new characters from her. She is modern but folksy, picky but nonchalant, and cool but careful. Viewers have been attracted to this new kind of nuanced irony of her characters. It must be such unexpectedness of her that leads us to ‘permeate’ Youn.
I believe Youn Yuh-jung has been best described in variety shows of TV producer Na Young-seok. One of the shows is <Youn’s Kitchen>, where Youn had to run a restaurant in other countries working with several other actors and actresses. Na mentioned that he had been embarrassed by the unexpected characters of Youn when first started taking the show. He said he had envisioned a comfortable relaxing restaurant, like the one in the Japanese film <Kamome Diner>. He thought Youn would idle around leaving hard kitchen work to others, as was normally expected from a city career woman who would not like to cook. Restaurant <Youn’s Kitchen>, however, unexpectedly set new sales records every day under her leadership. Na acknowledged Youn’s seriousness about work saying, “If given a tiring task of making dolls by putting wiggly eyes on their faces, she would go on to finish at least 100 dolls today.
It was surprising to the viewers as well. Youn, a recognized fashionista both by herself and others, was busy cooking Bulgogi in shorts with wild hair in the show. She was developing new menus during the break time even without any requests from the staff, and braced up her team members saying “Let’s go on step by step.” Wiping her glasses for presbyopia in her room after work reminds us of a veteran carpenter sharpening the tools. As Na said, she was working hard as if her life had depended on it. Yet she remained pretty composed at the news that the restaurant would be torn down for an administrative reason. Accepting the situation, she encouraged her team saying, “We can’t stop it when the whole neighborhood had to be demolished. Nobody needs be sorry here.”
Such duplicity in her character could be understood well in another show. In the travelreality show ‘Sisters Over Flowers,’ also produced by Na Young-seok, Youn Yuh-jung reminisces about her life right after divorce. “It was really tough because I had to feed my children. I climbed up hundreds of stairs if I had to, and didn’t care about myself. I worked darn hard.” Returning to her career as a single mother, she had to face disregard and cold reception of Korean society that was very negative about divorce back then. This once-youthstar managed to get bit parts, and people did not like her. Still she started from small roles to survive.
When we know this background story of her, the scene where Youn helped Lee Seung-gi by askin a foreigner for directions in <Sisters Over Flowers> translates different. Youn’s communicating with a foreigner in English could be seen as highlighting her smartness, but it actually reveals her attitude about living. She has been going forward even with a small step, looking for what she can do. She has made a quick and precise decision in any given situation. She has accepted the reality that she can do nothing about and made a new start from there. Her smartness no longer looks like that of a noble lady but as a callus of someone hard-trained to survive.
I think Youn was rediscovered because her candid character met Na Young-seok’s own style in variety entertainment shows. Normally, the character of each show member is taken as important in variety shows, and specific characters of each member are often emphasized whereas others are hidden. It leads the members to become more like actors or actresses performing certain roles with particular characters. Shows of Na Young-seok, however, are relatively less staged in this regard. What if Youn had acted a boss only giving orders without working in person in order to meet Na’s initial expectations? What if she had acted a ‘modern lady’ or a ‘mother loved by the nation’ in the show?’ Then it would not have revealed her true charm regardless of the roles. Na mentioned later in the editor’s comments that he liked Youn because she did not become a mother-like old woman but remained just Youn as she grew older.
Going back to the first question. What would we be when we get old? A mother or an ajumma? We have the answer now. We don’t need to be someone. We would just be ourselves, just like Youn Yuh-jung is Youn Yuh-jung. Getting old simply means living a life. The obscure fear of growing old would finally be lifted when we realize this simple fact. Youn says no to the young generation wanting to set her as their role-model. She gives the message that they should affirm themselves, and paradoxically, the fact that she gives such message makes Youn Yuh-jung as our role-model.
Wrapping up here, I think I could hear Youn talking from somewhere with her unique way of speaking. It is even being called ‘Human Yuh-jung,’ which emphasizes Youn’s candid and chatty tone and it has become a fashion these days. Maybe I could try to wrap up in this ‘Human Yuh-jung’ way. ‘Oh, my goodness, it drives me crazy. This article is too you know… anyway you may want to take couple of sentences out. Well, you’re gonna build a statue of me.’
Kim Seyeon Media critic / Translated by Ok Eurom
* 《Cultura》 2021 July (Vol. 85) *
