Thus, it is absolutely no surprise that she climbed the ladder of success, and of course, that entails an increase in people’s interest in her personal life and relationships. From rumors of dating to thoughts on marriage, let’s take a look at Uhm Jung-hwa’s success and past relationships amongst it all!
Career
Park Jung-hwa started her career with an MBC audition program in 1989, as a choir member. In one instance of the show’s airing, she helped legendary actor Choi Jin-sil in producing and writing his song, thus launching her journey as an artist under the same company as he. Not only that, but through the process, she also gained his friendship as they worked alongside each other as coworkers. When she finished her time in the choir, she moved on to become a singer, making her official debut in 1993 with the album Sorrowful Secret. A fun fact regarding the album was that Uhm Jung-hwa got to know the producer and writer of the album through her activities she had done as an actress beforehand. She first debuted as an actress in 1992, with her involvement in the project Marriage Story, which led her to her next project, On a Windy Day We Must Go to Apgujeong. The producer who helped her produce her debut single actually worked as a producer of the soundtrack of the movie. This is how the two met and their chemistry resulted in a very successful debut. The mid-90s really marked her prime, her glory days if you will. She placed herself alongside top singers and entertainers through various hits that just kept on getting the warm reception they deserved. Among them are hit songs, such as, “Sad Expectation,” “A Love Only Heaven Permits,” “Rose of Betrayal,” and “Tell Me.” In the case of “Sad Expectations,” she released it with a music video and managed to hit no. 10 in the charts, surprising not only her co-workers but also herself. This led to her release of “A Love Only Heaven Permits,” that received even more love and reached the no. 1 spot on charts. In the early 2000s, she mostly focused her work on acting more than singing. This allowed her to be more versatile and explore sides of her that she had not before. In 2002, she starred in the hit movie, Marriage is A Crazy Thing, that became her comeback project. Uhm Jung-hwa’s role in the movie received its well deserved praise from the masses, solidifying her part in not only the music industry but also in the acting world. Despite her success in both fields, after several years going back and forth between acting and singing, she decided to take a hiatus from the music industry after the release of her album D.I.S.C.O. D.I.S.C.O is Uhm Jung-hwa’s first mini-album that was released in 2008 with very close supervision from YG Entertainment’s CEO himself, Yang Hyun-suk. They were longtime friends who had initially met each other in the industry, and the album became some sort of a collaboration project. The title single of the same name was produced by well-known YG producers, Teddy and Kush, whilst at the same time had a rap element featuring Big Bang’s T.O.P. This was a recipe for success as the song soared on the charts, placing itself high in multiple online streaming sites. Sadly, this marked her last promotions as a singer before her hiatus. After D.I.S.C.O, namely in the early 2010s, she once again fully promoted as an actress in dramas. Most of her projects have been weekend dramas and sitcoms as it seems to appeal to her demographic, women in their 40s and 50s. Fortunately, by 2017, she has prepared another album to stage her comeback in the Korean music industry. With an album titled, The Cloud Dream of Nine, she has come back with the help of her new agency, Mystic entertainment. The album itself received quite the hype among both youths and adults, simply because it had some really good songs that lighten up the mood. Not only that, it helped her start promoting in variety shows that are focused on stars of the 90s such as a special “Happy Together” episode, as well as “Immortal Songs 2.”
Dating and Thoughts on Relationships
As a very prominent figure in the industry, it is only natural that people are curious about Uhm Jung-hwa’s personal life, including her romantic relationships, dating, and marriage included. The songstress has always been very private about her relationships, as only one has managed to surface online, and that is her relationship the ever mysterious Mr. Lee. In 2002, news broke out that Uhm Jung-hwa is seeing a second generation conglomerate’s son, codenamed Mr. Lee. He is a Harvard graduate and is currently working on a startup company of his own. The two were rumored to be getting hitched at the time, with no further information on the man, such as social media posts or even pictures of the two on dates. Marriage supposedly is the natural course for them as they were both 32 years old at the time, yet unfortunately, Uhm Jung-hwa was very busy promoting Marriage is A Crazy Thing during that time which made it hard for the two to settle on a decision. They finally split due to their differing views on marriage. On the topic of marriage and dating, Uhm Jung-hwa has stated that she prefers meeting someone who is younger or the same age as her. The age gap shouldn’t be too different, somewhere along the lines of 2 to 4 years younger is acceptable, cause any younger she said that she might feel burdened. In her whole life, she has not dated anyone older, but she prefers being the older in the relationship anyway, as it holds a certain power. Uhm Jung-hwa has also stated that she doesn’t look to date younger guys specifically, it just naturally happens as they are the ones who she is naturally attracted to. Furthermore, in regards to marriage, Uhm Jung-hwa has revealed that she wants to get married not because she has to but because she just wants to. She thinks that marriage should only be based on love so that she will get married once the right person comes along. Other than that, she also stated that she has a certain fear of marriage, that it is something most women have, due to the fact they are comfortable or ready to be a housewife. The balance that needs to be kept between raising a child, doing housework and having time for oneself is anxiety that these women seem to have. Thus in the meantime, Uhm Jung-hwa says that she enjoys simply acting out marriage scenarios in both her drama and movie projects.
Currently Single?
As previously mentioned, her only known relationship is with Mr. Lee back in 2002. There has been no news of her relationship ever since, and based on her views on relationships and marriage, she will reveal once all her plans are set in stone. Not only that, in one instance of a Running Man episode, she appeared as one of the guests who were then asked to partake in a fortune telling session. At that time, it was revealed that her time for marriage has long passed. This might amount to almost nothing for a non-believer, but you never know how faith will play out. In the meantime, Uhm Jung-hwa is enjoying her time still as part of the Korean entertainment industry, regarded as a legend of her time. Her contribution to the industry has been massive and it still goes on to this very day. She is definitely not letting her career take a back seat to her personal life, so all her fans can do is wait patiently until the time comes. So what do you think of her thoughts on relationships? Do you think her fear of marriage and preference in guys are justifiable? Comment your thoughts and opinions down below!
