Comedian Oh Ji-heon cut ties with high-earning instructor father for 8 years over perceived neglect

Comedian Oh Ji-heon shared a deeply personal story about his estranged relationship with his father, a renowned history instructor in the 1990s. Oh revealed on the MBN program "Are You Sick?" that he had no contact with his father for eight years due to unresolved family conflicts and feelings of neglect.

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Back then, a house in Apgujeong was about 20-30 million won, but my father's monthly income was around 50 million won.

Oh described his father as a highly successful "top instructor" who commanded a monthly income of approximately 50 million won during the early 1990s. This financial success allowed the family to live in a large house with a garden and swimming pool, and his father even had a personal driver. However, Oh recounted that despite the material wealth, the family atmosphere was not always happy, as his father consistently prioritized his work over family life.

This imbalance led to significant conflict between his mother, who valued family time, and his father. The tension culminated in his parents' divorce when Oh was in his final year of high school. Oh also felt a sense of being disregarded by his father, who, accustomed to interacting with top-tier students at his academy, held high expectations for Oh's academic performance. Comments comparing him to other students were perceived by Oh as dismissive, creating immense pressure.

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Father always put work before family.

After graduating high school, Oh chose to live with his mother, who supported his education despite financial difficulties by sending him to a boarding preparatory school. While working part-time to fund his university studies, Oh entered a mimicry competition with a 10 million won prize and won, which led him to pursue a career in comedy. He debuted as a KBS comedian in 2003 but maintained his estrangement from his father for about eight years.

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Because my father encountered many top students at the academy, his expectations were high.

It wasn't until his grandmother fell seriously ill that Oh reconnected with his father. Through his own experiences as a father and a working professional, Oh began to understand his father's perspective. He realized that his father's actions were not necessarily a lack of care but perhaps a different way of expressing it. This newfound understanding allowed Oh to let go of his long-held resentment and begin rebuilding his relationship with his father.

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I thought he was looking down on me and felt immense pressure.