Comedian Lee Gook-ju starts fresh in Tokyo with rookie spirit

Comedian Lee Gook-ju shares an update on her new life in Japan. Captured from Lee's YouTube channel

Comedian Lee Gook-ju has shared an update on her decision to move from Korea to Japan, revealing her new life in a modest one-room apartment in Tokyo.

In a video titled “Lee Gook-ju’s Tokyo settlement story” uploaded to her personal YouTube channel on Wednesday, Lee said she recently began living alone in a 9-pyeong (30 square meters) apartment in the Japanese capital.

“Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of my debut, and I’ve been feeling like I’ve just been going through the motions for the past four or five years — doing what I’m told, accepting what comes," the 38-year-old said, explaining her motivation for the move.

She added that she had been longing for a new challenge and wanted to learn a new language, particularly Japanese.

“I thought that if I could speak Japanese in the future, maybe I’d be able to try something new,” Lee said. “Instead of waiting around for work to come in during slower periods, I decided to take this opportunity and do something for myself.”

Lee also expressed her determination to embrace the experience wholeheartedly. “I came here with the mindset of a rookie, ready to work hard and make sacrifices,” she said. “Even if I fail, it won’t be a failure that ruins my life — it will be a valuable experience. And with that kind of mindset, I believe success is inevitable. I don’t know when that time will come, but I’m just doing it.”

Separately, Lee also wrote on Instagram on Thursday, “It’s not like I’ve gone off to live permanently in Japan. I’m just working hard on everything I have scheduled in Korea, and spending the rest of my time in a more meaningful way by going back and forth.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.