"Second Husband Divorced Saying He Can't Have Children"
"Suffered Panic Disorder After Ruling"
"Divorce Decision Should Consider Children's Perspective"
Lee Ji-hyun (41), a former member of the group Jewelry who has experienced two divorces, revealed that she has not received child support for 10 years.
Lee Ji-hyun appeared on JTBC's 'Divorce Deliberation Camp' aired on the 5th and talked about her two marriages and divorces. She said, "I dated my first husband for three months before marrying him, but after getting married, facts I didn’t know kept coming out like layers of an onion," adding, "In the end, I begged him to just divorce me. We went through five mediation sessions before finalizing the divorce." She continued, "Men often don’t express their demands well because of pride," and revealed, "During the fifth and final mediation, my husband asked for some money, so I told him, 'Take it all. Just please divorce me.'"
After remarrying, Lee Ji-hyun said, "I decided to remarry believing the promise that they would embrace my two children. But as soon as the marriage started, my in-laws called me and said, 'We absolutely cannot accept someone else’s children,'" explaining, "They secretly met my mother and asked if she could raise the children, telling me to send only the children to my husband. My husband was unable to firmly handle the demands from his family," describing the conflict at the time. She added, "We registered our marriage, but never lived together, and time just passed. My husband seemed to be waiting for me, but how could he leave the children behind? Eventually, I received divorce papers from him."
She lamented, "I didn’t receive about 70% of the child support, so don’t expect much. Once a man turns his back, he’s a stranger," and explained, "Many men, busy with their own lives, try not to pay child support by putting their salary under someone else’s name. I also filed a child support lawsuit but haven’t received any payments for 10 years." She added, "Entering my 40s, I got tired and my body aged. The children grew up and their desires increased, but I couldn’t handle it alone," and advised, "Although legal fees are involved, I couldn’t stand it anymore and filed another child support lawsuit. Don’t take divorce lightly, thinking you can raise your children while receiving child support."
Lee Ji-hyun also said, "Divorce lawsuits are battles that drag two people who once loved each other down to the lowest point. When the other party tries to pull me down, I have to read everything carefully and refute each point," describing, "It’s a painful process of exchanging rebuttals and counter-rebuttals. It feels like my insides are torn apart, marrow dripping, and my heart breaking." She continued, "Divorce is not the end. I sent my child to meet the father through visitation rights, but various problems arose, like the father’s girlfriend being present," emphasizing, "You have to keep fighting even after divorce. There is no such thing as a beautiful farewell in this world."
She shared, "The day after the divorce ruling, I woke up and was briefly happy realizing I didn’t have to fight today. I thought I was strong, but my body said otherwise," revealing, "After the divorce, I suffered from panic disorder and couldn’t leave the house. It felt like everyone was talking badly about me." Lastly, she added, "Whatever the reason, when deciding on divorce, don’t do it for yourself. Think and do your best from the children’s perspective."
Meanwhile, Lee Ji-hyun debuted in 1998 with the group Circle, then switched agencies and re-debuted with Jewelry in 2001. She married a non-celebrity who is seven years older than her in March 2013 and gave birth to her first daughter in October of the same year. In 2015, she gave birth to a son, becoming a mother of two. However, it was revealed in June 2016 that she was undergoing divorce mediation with her husband, and they finalized their divorce by agreement two months later. She remarried an ophthalmologist in September 2017 but faced another breakup in August 2020, three years later.
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