Actress Kim Go Eun is easily one of the most celebrated artists in the Korean entertainment industry today.
Kim Go Eun | IMDb
Having debuted in 2012, Kim has been constantly rising in prominence over the course of her 12-year-old career now. But what many fans are unaware of about the actor is that for a long period of time, she was not fluent in Korean and was more comfortable in Chinese.
On February 21, KST, Kim Go Eun appeared as a guest on Na Young Suk’s YouTube live show to promote her new mystery thriller movie Exhuma. During her chat with the host, the actress revealed how her childhood circumstances led to the difficulties in learning her mother tongue.
(From L to R) Na Young Suk, Kim Go Eun, and Yoo Hae Jin | @@15ya.fullmoon/YouTube
Na Young Suk (Na PD hereafter) mentioned that Kim grew up in rural China, asking her to share some of the stories of her unique childhood. Kim Go Eun responded by saying that she spent ten years of her life in China, from age 4 to 14!
Talking about her Korean speaking abilities, Kim said her parents tried very hard to ensure she learned the language. Firstly, she was prohibited from speaking Chinese at home. They also rented Korean variety shows or drama tapes to introduce her to Korean media, and that’s how she got familiar with shows like Nonstop and Share Living And Joy as a child.
Kim also mentioned that the area they lived in virtually had no other foreigners, and hence, she picked up the local language and got more comfortable with it.
However, the actress also admitted that her Chinese skills have eroded significantly now. “If it were something urgent, I would be able to get by somehow,” she confessed, explaining her current skill level.
You can watch the full episode here:
