From April 27th
Na Hoon-a, ahead of retirement concert
Reexamining his colorful past
As Na Hoon-ah announces his retirement and is about to hold his last concert, his past history is being reexamined.
There are many people who do not know that Na Hoon-ah, who has firmly maintained the position of ‘Valentine’ for a long time, was also active as an actor at one time.
After debuting in 1966 with ‘A Thousand-Lee Road’, he was loved by the public for his outstanding singing ability and splendid stage performance as a singer. He played a leading role on the screen from the 1970s to the 1980s.
Boasting a tall appearance, he made his screen debut in 1971 in director Jeong Jin-woo’s film ‘Foot Love’.
Dramatic rivalry with Nam Jin
When they were young, Na Hoon-ah and Nam Jin divided the music industry fandom with their great stage manners and prince-like looks. At the time, they formed a fierce rivalry and competed in good faith.
The competition in the music industry continued on the screen as well. The two, who were pursuing separate acting careers, worked together in 1971 through director Choi In-hyun’s ‘Wild Goose Brothers and Sisters’.
The film tells the story of female college student Moon-hee, her older brother Na Hoon-ah, and Nam Jin, the only son of a chaebol family who loves Moon-hee. It attracted public attention with a story reminiscent of the rivalry between two singers.
The two attracted attention once again when they appeared together in the 1972 movie ‘Friends’.
Affair with top actress Kim Ji-mi
Na Hoon-ah, who was active as a singer and actor, announced to the public in July 1976 that she was engaged to actress Kim Ji-mi, who was seven years older than her. Four years ago, she said that the two, who first met in 1972, had already promised to get married from then on.
However, after a passionate relationship, the two broke up in 1982.
At the moment of breakup, Na Hoon-ah received attention by donating all of his assets to Kim Ji-mi as alimony. At this time, she said, Na Hoon-ah said, “A man can live without money, but a woman alone cannot live without money,” and it is known that she was worried about Kim Ji-mi until the end.
Kim Ji-mi was the best actress of her time, nicknamed ‘Korea’s Elizabeth Taylor’ for her gorgeous appearance that stood out even among actors.
The women chosen by Vulcan Hunah Na Hoon-ah
Kim Ji-mi is not the only woman who had a relationship with Na Hoon-ah. In fact, he has been divorced three times.
In 1973, he married Lee Sook-hee, the cousin of actress Go Eun-ah, but they divorced in 1976, and before the divorce, he was already dating Kim Ji-mi.
A few months after his divorce from Lee Sook-hee, he began living together with Kim Ji-mi in a common-law relationship, but their love broke up after six years.
In 1983, a year after his divorce from Kim Ji-mi, he made a stir by announcing that he had become a father.
The person who gave Na Hoon-ah her first son was junior singer Jeong Soo-kyung. They continued to live together and officially married in 1985, and had a second daughter in 1988.
Na Hoon-ah, who had been living the life of a wild goose dad since Su-kyung Jeong left for Hawaii in 1993 to educate her children, eventually split from Su-kyung Jeong in 2016. Since then, she seems to have been living without any romantic rumors.
How a real man deals with rumors
Meanwhile, there is an anecdote that is constantly talked about regarding Na Hoon-ah. In 2008, Na Hoon-ah, who was living apart from her husband Su-kyung Jeong, was embroiled in rumors that she had a major part of her body amputated after a fight with Japanese yakuza and actress K.
As the matter was widely reported and unconfirmed facts began to spread, Na Hoon-ah held an hour-long press conference to answer the suspicions. And she was there, and she gave a performance that will go down in history.
When the press conference had progressed to some extent, Na Hoon-ah said, “I will go up here from now on and do whatever you want.” He went up to the stage without waiting for a response.
He got up on the podium and said, “I’ll take down my pants and show you for 5 minutes. He made an unconventional statement: “Then would you believe it?” At this point, he actually unbuckled his belt and even unzipped his pants.
The influence of reporters at the time was enormous. No matter how much money celebrities made, they were treated like clowns in front of reporters, and there were times when they even ended up retiring from the entertainment industry because of a single article they had written with great determination.
In such a situation, Na Hoon-ah’s behavior was an extreme force that no one expected. This is because it was a time when it was difficult to imagine a celebrity confidently saying what she had to say in front of a reporter.
Although it was a bit extreme, thanks to Na Hoon-ah’s strong response, the scandal was quickly put to rest. In an additional interview, he criticized, “Your (journalist) actions are like killing people with a pen.”
