The mother of singer Kim Jae-joong recently recounted the story of adopting him on a television show, describing their first meeting as “unforgettable.”

Kim was adopted into Yoo Man-soon’s family of eight daughters at the age of three, becoming the youngest child and only boy.

"A relative brought him to me, saying, 'He is a child with some difficult stories,'" Yoo said on KBS1’s “Morning Forum” on Tuesday. “They suggested I consider raising him.”


Initially hesitant because of her large family, Yoo said, “I wasn’t confident I could raise him [at first] because I already had so many kids. But the moment I saw him, he was so beautiful and cute with bright eyes.”

Her reluctance vanished when Kim called her "Umma," the Korean word for mother. "The first time I held him, he started calling me, 'Umma, umma,' while in my arms. I thought, 'I'm going to raise you as my son from now on.'"

“Since I already had so many kids, I thought I just needed to add another set of cutlery and a bowl of rice to the table. Even if I couldn’t raise him perfectly, I decided to live as life flowed,” Yoo said.

She also expressed deep gratitude for Kim. “He grew up so well and became an amazing son. He is the most devoted son,” she said.

Kim, in turn, thanked his mother for her care. “She raised me healthy, regardless of the circumstances,” he said.

The singer also spoke about his large family. “I have eight sisters and eight brothers-in-law,” Kim said. “I also have 13 nephews. If one of them gets married and has children, I would become a grandfather.”

Kim Jae-joong debuted as a member of boy band TVXQ under SM Entertainment in 2003. After leaving the band with Park Yoo-chun and Kim Jun-su in 2009, they formed the trio JYJ in 2010.

He began his solo career in 2013 with the release of his first full-length album, “WWW” (2013), and released his fourth full-length album, "Flower Garden," on June 26.

To find out more about Kim Jae-joong, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY JANG GU-SEUL, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]