Actor Ku Hye-sun thanks KAIST professor who supported her through graduate school struggles

Actor Ku Hye-sun has shared a handwritten letter and book she received from her graduate school adviser at KAIST.

On Monday, Ku posted several photos on her Instagram, including a handwritten letter from KAIST professor Jeong Jae-min. In the letter, Jeong wrote that she was "always the first to arrive in the classroom" and "diligently kept a daily gratitude journal of five entries."

Jeong added that she was "a sincere and outstanding person who won both the KAIST Literary Award and the Creative Question Award," and closed with, "I will always remember you, and I am grateful."

Ku wrote that "when I first entered KAIST, there was a time when I struggled with my studies and lost my way," and thanked Jeong for his support. "Professor Jeong Jae-min always looked after my heart during those times — thank you for sending me the book," she said.

She added, "Thanks to you, I look back on my fulfilling graduate school years and read it carefully again today."

The book Ku shared alongside the letter is "Saenggageul Oejuhwa Han Saramdeul," a book on outsourcing one's thinking, authored by Jeong. She expressed her gratitude by reading the book her mentor had sent.

Jeong researches digital media users and the cultural content industry at KAIST.

Ku enrolled in the master of engineering program at KAIST's Graduate School of Science Journalism in 2024 and completed the degree in just a year and a half, graduating early. She also attended the commencement ceremony held last February.