Actor Jae Hee, who had been away from the spotlight for three years, has finally shared an update on his life.
A video titled “What has actor Jae Hee been doing all this time?” was recently uploaded to ‘Daktersin’, the YouTube channel of Shin Jung-hwan, formerly of Country Kko Kko.
Appearing as a guest, Jae Hee looked back on his time playing the role of Ogu-doryeong in the drama ‘Legendary Hometown’, recalling, “After my military discharge, I filmed a serial drama for the first time at a director’s suggestion, and the response was so great that it hit the all-time highest viewership ratings.”
However, he expressed frustration over the industry’s perception, saying, “But the lineups for the projects I was considering started to change. Even though I hit the top in ratings, when I went to discuss movies, I was told, ‘You’ve done a serial drama.’ There’s this idea that appearing in serial dramas lowers an actor’s status. I don’t know where that notion comes from.”
Jae Hee explained that he eventually took a voluntary hiatus to break this cycle, stating, “Ultimately, I do serial dramas because I want to act. But it’s a vicious cycle. I decided to take a break on my own, thinking that if I disappeared and then reappeared, the atmosphere might have changed.”
He revealed that he worked various part-time jobs during his break. “Because my face is known, it wasn’t easy to get hired, and my age was also a factor. So, I worked a lot in restaurant kitchens,” he shared. He added, “I worked in a restaurant while doing live broadcasts, and I was also working night shifts at a convenience store.”
Jae Hee debuted in 1997 with the drama ‘San’ and has appeared in numerous works, including ‘May Queen’, ‘The Art of Fighting’, ‘Ruler of Your Heart’ as Lee Mong-ryong, and ‘Become Rice’. In 2012, he was recognized for his talent, winning the Excellence Award for Actor in a Serial Drama at the MBC Drama Awards.
In February 2024, he was sued for fraud by an individual, A, who claimed to be his former manager, but the case was closed with a decision of no charges.
