Korean actress Jeong Ga Eun, 47, becomes a taxi driver to help raise daughter after 2018 divorce

Korean actress Jeong Ga Eun, 47, revealed in a series of YouTube videos that she has passed the test to become a taxi driver and has acquired her taxi driver licence.

Her latest video documenting this aspect of her life was out on Jun. 23.

The video that showed her receiving her taxi driver licence was out on May 19.

In it, she had expressed doubt about her ability to pass the exam as she felt she could not meet the minimum passing grade, but was ecstatic when she managed to do it.

Her crew filmed her filling out the form to acquire her licence on the spot at the test office.

She was also seen video-calling her father, a former taxi driver, to tell him the good news.

Her videos were met with overwhelming support from commenters who said they were rooting for her.

Financial instability

The actress had previously spoken about her financial situation raising her daughter alone, but has clarified that she is not in any financial hardship as many believe, and is still making ends meet, even though she is not earning as much as before in her broadcasting and acting roles.

Her series of videos on YouTube documented her search for work in the taxi industry.

One segment showed her cold-calling companies to ask about part-time driving positions, but she repeatedly got turned down.

Most companies said they did not hire women or part-time workers as part of their longstanding practices.

Jeong said she believes she is well-suited for the service industry.

Her videos also included segments where she spoke to industry veterans to learn about the taxi driving trade.

She learned that taxi drivers are capable of earning up to 10 million won (S$9,400) a month by working hard.

"With hard work, you can earn around 10 million won (S$9,400)," she said. "These days, even major companies don’t pay that much."

Got divorced in 2018

Jeong made her debut as a model in 1997, and gained public attention as the runner-up at the 2001 Miss Korea South Gyeongsang Province.

Her decision to become a taxi driver was attributed to what happened to her post-divorce and the betrayal by her ex-husband.

In 2018, after two years of marriage, Jeong divorced her businessman husband, who was later discovered to have embezzled 13.2 billion won (S$17 million) using her name.

He has since fled overseas.

Jeong was left to raise their daughter alone.

The actress reportedly lost over 100 million won (S$94,000).

In a previous interview, she recalled: "After my last film, there was no work. I looked at my bank account and felt completely lost."

She also admitted to being very scared of financial insecurity, but has become determined to live within her means.

"Things are still uncertain, but raising my child has made me stronger," she said.

As acting jobs dried up, Jeong said she decided to follow in the footsteps of her father, who was a taxi driver for over 30 years and he had "raised her with that job".

Jeong said she hopes to fetch her father as her first passenger.

He is currently battling esophageal cancer.

Top photos via Jeong Ga Eun YouTube