Actor Yoo Hye-jung, 18 years after divorce, reveals 26-year-old daughter for first time: 'Her depression score was high — I felt it was my fault'

Actor Yoo Hye-jung has shared an update on her life, including the years she spent raising her 26-year-old daughter Seo Gyu-won alone after her divorce.

Yoo appeared Thursday on MBN's "Teukjong Sesang," a celebrity news program, drawing on her reputation as a youth star of the 1990s known for her striking looks and bubbly charm.

Reflecting on life after her marriage ended, she said, "Not every ending to a marriage is the same kind of ending. We simply went our separate ways, and now that, too, has become a memory."

She added that the two had "each chosen their own path after seven years of marriage," and that 18 years had passed since the divorce.

"I chose to divorce, but I could not let an innocent child suffer because of my choice," Yoo said. "I tried so hard to make sure there were no empty spaces in her life. We became parents young, but the adults around us warmly filled those gaps, and thanks to them, Gyu-won grew up well."

The program also offered a glimpse into Yoo's life centered entirely on her daughter. Seo Gyu-won, who had appeared alongside her mother on television in the past, has since grown into a 26-year-old working professional.

Yoo spoke warmly about her daughter.

"If Gyu-won needs me, I drop everything and go," she said. Seo, for her part, said of her mother, "She has never once said no to me."

During Thursday's broadcast, Yoo met her older sister at a cafe near her home and opened up about her daughter's health.

"Gyu-won had a health checkup, and apparently her depression score came back very high — high enough to be considered a problem," Yoo said.

She went on to say, "Our situation was not exactly easy. I kept wondering whether all of that had been weighing on Gyu-won." She added, "My heart sank. I thought, 'Is this because of me?' I kept thinking that everything around her must have been a source of stress."

Yoo said Gyu-won had always been bright. "She never threw tantrums, never disobeyed me, never slammed her door. She really grew up as the gentlest child."

Recalling her past marriage to a professional athlete, which had drawn considerable public attention, Yoo said calmly, "I married because I believed it was a good connection. Not every ending is the same kind of ending. We each had a different picture, and now that, too, has become a memory."

Yoo made her debut in the entertainment industry after winning a beauty pageant. She later married a professional athlete, attracting wide attention, before announcing their divorce after seven years of marriage.

"I divorced when Gyu-won was starting elementary school," Yoo said. "I moved back into my mother's home in my mid-thirties. It was my choice, but I could not let a child who knew nothing about any of it go through hardship. So my mother, father and the rest of the family helped a great deal."