Celebrities open up about postpartum depression, sparking waves of support

From left, Park Ha-sun, So Yoo-jin, and Moon So-ri / Xportsnews

Honest confessions from celebrities about their struggles with postpartum depression are resonating deeply with viewers and generating widespread empathy online.

On the June 26 episode of JTBC’s “Divorce Consideration Camp,” actress Park Ha-sun shared her personal experience with postpartum depression, offering a raw account of how difficult it had been.

In the episode, one participant revealed that his wife had been diagnosed with postpartum depression, prompting Park to reflect, “The husband really needs to be supportive during that time. It’s not something you can just overcome with willpower.” She recounted, “One night, my husband went out briefly to meet a friend, and I just broke down crying. I hadn’t been able to meet anyone for so long. He came back and was shocked, asking, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ I looked in the mirror and saw that the blood vessels in my face had burst. I had been holding everything in for so long that it literally showed on my face.”

Actress So Yoo-jin, who has three children with celebrity chef Paik Jong-won, also shared her story on KBS2’s “Problem Child in House.” “After giving birth, everyone was focused on the baby while I was still in recovery,” she said. “I was suffering from insomnia and felt like I was just a machine for feeding the baby. The postpartum period was actually much harder than the delivery itself.”

Actress Hwang Jung-eum, mother of two, opened up on SBS Plus and E Channel’s “Because I’m solo,” saying, “I kept crying. I looked at myself in the mirror and burst into tears. The way my body had changed was so sad, and I couldn’t stop thinking, ‘When will I lose all this weight?’”

Veteran actress Moon So-ri also spoke candidly on the YouTube show “JoDongARi” about her experience after giving birth. “Because of the sudden hormonal changes, I felt like I was having a panic attack. My face turned red, my hands were trembling. I couldn’t even hold the baby — I would just cry whenever I saw him,” she said. Moon is married to film director Jang Joon-hwan.

Other stars, including former Wonder Girls member Woo Hye-rim and actress Yoon Jin-yi, have also shared their own experiences with emotional distress and body image struggles following childbirth.

These honest confessions have helped foster greater awareness and understanding of postpartum depression in South Korea. They also serve as reassurance to many mothers who may have silently battled similar feelings, thinking they were alone.

Online, the response has been overwhelmingly supportive. Netizens commented, “All mothers are amazing,” “I went through the same emotional rollercoaster after giving birth,” and “It’s comforting to know I wasn’t the only one.”

This article from Xportsnews is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.