“I Thought I Was Going To Die”: Han Hye Jin Exposes The Harsh Reality Of Modeling In Korea

Beloved South Korean model and actress Han Hye Jin recently shared the intense pressures and emotional turmoil she faced as a teenager in the fashion industry. During a recent YouTube video, Han revealed a few personal stories, including ones that exposed just how harsh the industry is when it comes to grueling schedules and expectations.

The actress started by first revealing that she was “finally” all done with commercial shoots. So grueling was the three-month-long experience that Han shared, “I thought I was going to die for three months.”

To celebrate the end of it, Han traveled all the way to her hometown, Sillim, so she could eat at her favorite restaurant when she was still a high school student. As the actress devoured her food, she reminisced about her past, especially the beginning of her long and successful career.

Han entered the celebrity realm during her turbulent teenage years. Despite only being a teenager, she was immediately thrust into modeling. The actress confessed that, at this time, she was so emotionally unstable she would often start crying without knowing why. She also revealed that due to her emotional state, she often heard rumors of people accusing her of being “rude and disrespectful.”

It was emotionally and mentally very tough. That’s why rumors spread that I was rude and disrespectful wherever I went.

— Han Hye Jin

Han then went on to point out how she found it ridiculous that she was being judged during such a young age, and revealed the pressure was too “harsh” for a teenager.

People judged a sixteen-year-old girl in a school uniform by adult and commercial standards. There was immense pressure to act grown-up. It seems too harsh.

— Han Hye Jin

This is not the first time Han Hye Jin has spoken about the harsh reality of the entertainment scene in South Korea. Back in 2019 when she was a guest in I Live Alone, Han opened up about how her long modeling career had sometimes come at the expense of her happiness.