KOREA: According to Allkpop, Lee Hye Won revealed something surprising on Channel A’s Family Beyond Borders. She shared that she lived in Singapore for two years with her son, Ri Hwan, without letting her husband, Ahn Jung Hwan, know.
Families from Singapore, France, and Tunisia share rare glimpses of everyday life abroad in episode 81 of Family Beyond Borders, which airs on Thursday, May 1 at 8:10 PM KST. The studio’s full, with MCs Ahn Jung Hwan, Lee Hye Won, Yoo Se Yoon and Song Jin Woo present alongside international guests Fabien (France), Cristina (Italy), and Chris (US).
How the Singapore couple met
Meet the “Singapore Family” for the first time. Yoon Ji Young and Tomoyuki are present, and they’ve brought their adorable sons, Ray and Luca, to say hello. Yoon Ji Young shared that she actually met her husband on a blind date back when she was a fashion model in her twenties, and the rest is history – they got married.
After hearing Yoon Ji Young’s story, Lee Hye Won shared, ‘I also lived in Singapore for a couple of years. I actually moved there with my son, Ri Hwan, specifically so he could pursue his music education.”
Lee Hye Won then explained the reason behind her solo trip to Singapore with her son: “Actually, back then, Ahn Jung Hwan wasn’t really supportive of Ri Hwan going into music, so my son and I went to Singapore by ourselves.” She added, “I chose to relocate to Singapore without notifying Ahn Jung Hwan because I wanted to help Ri Hwan. We chose part of it, but the other part was simply going to happen anyway.”
Old-fashioned way of thinking
Ahn Jung Hwan then opened up, saying maybe it was just his old-fashioned way of thinking, but he worried that going into music would lead to a tough and unstable life. He admitted he might have been too stuck in his ways. In response, his wife, Lee Hye Won, added that Ahn Jung Hwan had gone through a great deal as an athlete himself, so he knew better than anyone just how hard a difficult path could be, and it really showed how much they understood each other.
Lee Hye Won shared that her time in Singapore was fantastic overall, with just one downside: the cost of living was really high.
The “Singapore Family” concurred, stating, “As of 2022, Singapore is ranked the most expensive country in the world,” pointing out that even a car registration plate can cost roughly the same as a compact automobile, which can cost up to 200 million KRW (~195,000 SGD).
Smart living strategies
Thankfully, the Singapore Family attracted the attention of the studio cast by introducing “smart living strategies” for thriving in Singapore despite the exorbitant prices.
The “France Family”, Kim Hye Jin and Goffredo, will be living the high life in Deauville, while the “Tunisia Family”, Nam Hyo Jung and Khallel Neill, will explore the ancient city of Sousse and the coastal village of Chéba in Tunisia.