'If we had a time machine, we would have had 10 kids': Actors Jin Tae-hyun, Park Si-eun regret delaying parenthood

Actors Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun say they regret waiting too long to start a family and are urging engaged couples to have children as early as possible.

On Friday, the couple shared their thoughts on family planning in a video titled "Park Si-eun Jin Tae-hyun's Marriage School, Lesson 2: The Earlier the Better — Responsible Family Planning," posted to their YouTube channel "Park Si-eun Jin Tae-hyun's Little TV."

"If you've made up your mind not to have children, don't — it's a choice the two of you make together," Jin said. "But speaking from experience, do it early. Have a baby early and have it soon."

Park said the two were already starting from a late point. "I was 36 and Tae-hyun was 35 when we got married. The starting line was already very late," Park said. "And even then, we thought we should enjoy our newlywed life a little longer before having a child. We were really immature."

When Park added that they did not actually begin trying for a child until their 40s, Jin chimed in: "We were out of our minds."

Park recalled advice from sunbae that went unheeded at the time. "They told me, 'Si-eun, once you're married, have a baby first. You know how work always comes in right when you're trying to get pregnant? Have the baby first anyway.' It didn't really sink in back then," Park said. "Now I understand why they said it."

Jin acknowledged that social norms have shifted — "Society has changed, and people in their 30s are still considered young" — but warned that the body tells a different story. "Even in your 30s, your body is already aging. Everything starts to decline in your mid-30s, and your 40s are a battle to hold on to your youth," Jin said.

Park said the physical advantages of having children young are undeniable. "It's much easier to get pregnant when your body is healthy, and younger parents have far more energy when raising a child," Park said. "I really recommend enjoying about a year of newlywed life and then having a baby."

Jin said full support goes to couples who conceive before marriage and go on to have the child. "But if you had no plans to marry and a pregnancy brings you to it, you have to be ready to commit with your life and see it through to the end," Jin said. "Without that sense of responsibility, it can truly become hell."

Toward the end of the video, Jin urged viewers not to make the same mistake. "If you're getting married, try to have a child as early as you can. Time does not come back," Jin said. "We realized that far too late." The couple added: "If we had a time machine and could go back to when we were 35 and 34, we think we would have had about 10 kids."

"We've decided to channel that love elsewhere," Jin added, "but if it's possible, having children and raising them well is so much better."

Jin and Park married in 2015 and announced a pregnancy in 2022, but lost the baby 20 days before the due date. The couple continued trying for a child afterward, but Jin said in January this year that "we have decided to stop dreaming and hoping for a child of our own." The two welcomed a college-age daughter into their family in 2019, and in January last year took in two more daughters — one a marathon runner and the other a nursing student — and now live together with all three.