Seo Joo-kyung’s Journey: How a ‘Bold Woman’ Overcame Health Challenges and Embraced Motherhood

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‘Daring Woman’ singer Seo Ju-kyung has opened up about the life she kept hidden behind the glitter of her heyday.

MBN’s ‘Scoop World – That Person’ channel recently posted a video titled “I had acute bleeding. Seo Ju-kyung’s story about dreaming of what will happen next? | Scoop World Episode 689.”

The clip is a reedited version of Episode 689 of MBN’s ‘Scoop World,’ which originally aired on May 29 of last year.

Seo, best known for the perennial hit “Daring Woman,” was once reported to have earned tens of billions of KRW (several million USD). The song was so popular it was even listed in the Korean edition of the Guinness Book of Records.

Addressing rumors about her finances, Seo said she had accumulated more wealth than the widely reported 7 billion KRW (approximately 5.25 million USD).

But despite the public success, Seo’s life has been marked by hardship. She revealed she has battled polycystic kidney disease — a rare condition that causes multiple cysts on the kidneys — for nearly 30 years.

Doctors have warned that if her condition deteriorates she may need dialysis. Seo said she has lived with cysts across her body for three decades, including on her kidneys, liver, lungs, thyroid and even her brain.

In a startling revelation, she said she underwent a shamanic initiation at 29. After suffering unexplained illnesses since childhood, she recalled bleeding and receiving inconclusive hospital diagnoses. “Someone kept whispering next to me that I wouldn’t live past 40,” she said, and she underwent the ritual to try to survive.

Despite these challenges, Seo refused to give up singing. She said she prayed to be allowed to continue performing and has fought to stay on stage even in difficult times.

Her health also complicated family plans: doctors told her pregnancy would be difficult and potentially dangerous. But after careful consideration, Seo decided to have a child. “I still wanted a child,” she said, and at 42 she gave birth to a son.

She is now raising that son on her own; he is 15. Her husband, with whom she only registered a marriage, and she are effectively living separate lives while remaining legally married — no wedding, no rings. “He lives five minutes away, and he stays in touch with our son,” she said.

Living with a rare disease that causes cysts throughout her body, Seo says she constantly feels the threat to her life. Her greatest worry, she added, is the prospect of leaving her son alone — a concern that underscores her strong sense of parental responsibility.

Jo Na-yeon, TenAsia reporter