[Diary Point = Reporter Park Bo-young] Broadcaster Seo Dong-joo recalled losing her dog and father in close succession and attending three funeral services in a video released November 7 on the YouTube channel STUDIO OMG. “Going through three funerals one after another was incredibly painful,” she said.
Seo described her dog as “a dog that had suffered at a puppy mill and was abandoned.” The dog had been abused by people and could neither see nor hear. Although a hospital told her the dog might not live another year, it lived for six years, she said.
After her dog died, Seo received news that her father, Seo Se-won, had died. He passed away in April 2023 at a Korean-run hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Seo traveled there for a funeral, and another service was held in South Korea.
Because it was difficult to preserve his body locally, Seo Se-won was cremated in Cambodia and his remains were brought to South Korea. A funeral was held at Asan Medical Center in Seoul under the auspices of the Korea Comedians Association. His funeral procession took place on May 2, 2023.
Seo said she left her dog at a pet hotel while she traveled between Cambodia and South Korea to say goodbye to her father. When she returned and went to pick up the dog, it had been hospitalized and was even being considered for euthanasia. “I had just said goodbye to my father, and then I was faced with having to let my dog go, too,” she said.
Recalling how she felt at the time, Seo said, “Life felt so empty that I thought it would be better if I disappeared, too.” She made the remarks while discussing loss in the video released November 7, which led her to share what she had been through.