Actress Youn Yeo Jung has shared a deeply personal story about her son’s sexual identity.

In an interview with 'People magazine' on April 18, Youn Yeo Jung introduced her new Hollywood film 'The Wedding Banquet' and revealed, “This role holds a very personal meaning for me.”

She explained, “South Korea is a very conservative country. It’s extremely rare for someone to openly talk about their sexual identity, especially in front of their parents. But my eldest son is gay.” She added, “This is a true story. Some of the dialogue in the film is based on actual conversations I had with my son.”

In a separate interview with Hong Kong media outlet 'South China Morning Post', Youn Yeo Jung shared, “My eldest son came out as gay in 2000, and when same-sex marriage was legalized in New York, I held his wedding there. Since it was still a secret in Korea at the time, our whole family went to New York.”

Expressing affection for her son and son-in-law, she said, “I hope Korea will open its heart,” though she added, “I still don’t know if that will happen,” revealing her lingering concerns.

'The Wedding Banquet', which premiered in North America on April 18, is a remake of director Ang Lee’s 1993 classic. The story follows two gay men, immigrants in the U.S., who plan a fake wedding to appease traditional family expectations.

Directed by Korean-American filmmaker Andrew Ahn, the film stars Youn Yeo Jung, Han Kee Chan, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, and Joan Chen. Youn Yeo Jung plays the grandmother of the gay Korean-American male lead.

Youn Yeo Jung was previously married to singer Cho Young Nam in 1974 and had two sons before divorcing in 1987 and raising them on her own.

She has portrayed the lives of Korean immigrant families in works such as 'Minari' and the Apple TV+ series 'Pachinko'. 

In 2021, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 93rd Oscars for her role in 'Minari'.