KOREA: Have you heard the latest news about Jung Ga Eun, the actress who was a runner-up in Miss Korea back in 2001? Well, word has it from VnExpress that she’s become a taxi driver to care for herself and her child. Apparently, her husband messed things up and left.
The beauty queen also uploaded her journey to become a licensed taxi driver on her YouTube channel, as reported by The Star.
Jung said that a taxi driver can earn around 10 million won (SGD9,349) with hard work. Nowadays, even major companies don’t pay that much.
Career change
After going through some really tough times over the past few years, Jung decided it was time for a career change. Back in 2018, she actually had to file for divorce from her businessman husband after finding out he’d swindled a massive amount of money, around 13.2 billion won (S$13.2 million), using her name! To make things even worse, he just left the country and hasn’t helped her out with raising their daughter at all. She’s been entirely on her own, without any money or support from him for their child.
Jung lost a ton of money, over 100 million won, because her ex-husband was a fraud. She even mentioned in an interview that work had dried up after her last movie. So, she was already facing a tough time financially. “When I looked at my bank account, I was at a loss.”
Living within her means
The beauty queen said she is determined to live within her means, although before this, she used to be terrified of financial insecurity. Despite the uncertainty, raising her child has strengthened her.
Things got a bit tough with acting work drying up, so Jung figured she’d do what her dad did. He was a taxi driver for 30 years, and that’s how he brought her up.
After passing her taxi test, Jung has a really touching goal: she hopes her dad, who’s currently fighting oesophageal cancer, will be her very first passenger.
Jung began her career as a beauty contestant in 2001, placing second in the Miss Gyeongnam Seon competition. After her pageant days, she became the main model for CJ O Shopping’s clothing line as the face of the brand. She also worked as a fitting model. It wasn’t long before she became a familiar face on TV, and then in 2008, she started her acting career.
Entertainment career
Jung Ga Eun (her original name was Baek Ra-hee) was born on May 21, 1978, in Busan, South Korea. She’s not just an actress but also runs a clothing business. She legally changed her birth name from Baek Hyang to Baek Ra-hee.
Initially, she worked as a fitting model for CJ O Shopping. Her popularity grew as a TV personality through appearances in variety shows like Sponge 2.0, BEAST Idol Maid, Infinite Girls, and Heroes. She gained further recognition as the lead actress in the situation comedy program Rollercoaster on tvN from 2009 to 2011. Since 2009, she has also been cooperating with an online dress store called Jungganda (정간다).