Jeon Bo-ram gave mother W100m a year after debut: 'Spend it on yourself'

Actor Lee Mi-young and her daughter Jeon Bo-ram, a former member of the girl group T-ara, looked back on the years they spent apart.

On Monday's episode of JTBC's "Saryeon Itneun Ssallong Hauseu," the mother and daughter appeared together to share their story.

Lee opened up about how she came to live separately from her daughters after her divorce. "After having children, I should have stayed with them to the end, but we ended up apart," she said. "I didn't have the confidence to raise them on my own, and at the time I only had 2 million won ($1,440) in my account. So I sent them to their father."

Lee had married singer Jeon Young-rok and had two daughters with him before the couple divorced.

Jeon, who was 11 when her parents divorced, recalled the experience. "I really wanted to go to my mom. Honestly, when they told me I couldn't, I just couldn't understand it," she said.

She added: "At that moment, my mom reached into her wallet and pulled out a few 10,000-won bills. She gave me one, and three were left. Seeing that, I finally understood." The memory drew an emotional response from viewers.

The two eventually reunited and lived together again after eight years apart. "A lot of people told me I seemed so much brighter," Jeon said. "I was just happy to be able to eat my mom's cooking again."

Jeon also revealed that she had given her mother a large sum of money shortly after her debut. Lee recalled the moment: "It was about a year after her debut. She said, 'Mom, I'm going to give you money — make sure you spend it on yourself.' When I asked how much, she said 100 million won." The disclosure left the audience stunned.