'Kkokkomu' Highlights Century-Old Romance of Ahn Jae-hyung and Jiao Zhimin: "I Bet My Life Like Gambling"

"I bet my life on love like it was a gamble."

On the SBS program "Story of the Day When You Bite Your Tail" (hereafter "Kkokkomu") aired on the 23rd, the show spotlighted the romance of Ahn Jae-hyung and Jiao Zhimin, who overcame harsh reality under the subtitle "The Romance of the Century - Ahn Jae-hyung & Jiao Zhimin."

Ahn Jae-hyung, a former national table tennis player, fell in love at first sight with China's Jiao Zhimin, who was the top star player of her time in the 1980s. Nervous just to greet her, Ahn smiled by mimicking gestures Jiao frequently made. With his persistent flirting every time they met, Jiao eventually started smiling back at him.

Destiny brought the two closer together, and they exchanged their feelings through letters. However, South Korea and China lacked diplomatic ties, and official exchanges were severely restricted. China, which had pointed guns at South Korea during the Korean War, was a distant and cautious country much like North Korea, making phone calls or sending letters no easy task.

After half a year passed without even knowing how the other was doing, the two met again. Ahn Jae-hyung wrote down Chinese characters from a Korean dictionary to communicate with Jiao through written notes. Jiao Zhimin was two years older than Ahn, but wanting to appear younger to her, Ahn introduced himself as being one year older than her.

As their feelings for each other grew, the time to part ways approached once again. Afterward, meeting each other was far from easy. To stay in touch, Ahn sent letters to Jiao through other Chinese athletes at international competitions, while another Chinese athlete delivered a gift from Jiao to Ahn at a different tournament.

However, Jiao's letters remained unreadable no matter how much he looked at them. In response, Ahn devoted himself to studying Chinese by playing Chinese language tapes all day long. He worked just as hard at table tennis as he did at studying Chinese, because meeting Jiao required him to become a player recognized by the international table tennis world.

Ahn Jae-hyung was subsequently named to the final five-member roster for the national table tennis team at the 1986 Asian Games. Jiao Zhimin was also selected for the Chinese national team, and the two finally reunited in Seoul.

Powered by Ahn's stellar performance, the South Korean men's national table tennis team won the gold medal. South Korea secured the gold against an unprecedented lineup of heavyweight Chinese generals, and Ahn Jae-hyung was at the center of it all. Overnight, Ahn etched his name across the world.

Reuniting after Jiao Zhimin also won a gold medal, the two exchanged congratulatory remarks in person unlike their first meeting, clumsily expressing their true feelings. Ahn also gifted Jiao a South Korean national team training jacket that she had admired.

Two years after first meeting Jiao, Ahn realized the depth of his feelings. Amid recurring days where every reunion meant an impending farewell, Ahn sent a confession letter containing his heart to Jiao.

He poured his sincerity into the letter, writing, "They say the saddest thing in the world is parting from the person you love. I can't believe how much I've come to like you like this. Love is not spoken with words, but felt with the heart. I love you. Please don't forget me. I won't forget you either." Jiao, in turn, expressed her feelings through a photograph in her dorm room featuring a poster of Ahn.

Thus, in the autumn of 1986, their love began. But at the same time, it marked the beginning of their troubles, as walls of reality too difficult to overcome with love alone stood in their way.

Then in January 1987, an unexpected incident occurred. A Japanese newspaper broke the news of their romantic relationship. A photograph of Jiao wearing the training jacket given to her by Ahn was released, drawing the attention of domestic and global media alike.

Ultimately, the two denied their relationship through the media and had to pretend not to see each other even when they met. However, none of this was sincere. They spoke of a false breakup out of fear that they might place each other in difficult situations.

As their affection deepened alongside towering walls of reality, Ahn asked the national team doctor for help. Sympathizing with Ahn's feelings and hoping to support their pure love out of goodwill, the doctor helped the two continue their secret romance. They even met each other's parents and began thinking about marriage.

Around that time, rumors of their marriage were reported. To handle the situation, Ahn appeared live on a television news broadcast to deny the rumors of his marriage to Jiao, as the issue could trigger political repercussions.

Nevertheless, Ahn continued to contemplate marriage with Jiao and planned to register their marriage at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sweden. As the wedding proceeded in strict secrecy, Jiao found herself deep in contemplation. Ultimately, however, love was the choice they made.

Recalling that time, Jiao Zhimin said, "Because I loved him, I thought I didn't want to lose this opportunity and love. I bet my life on it like a gamble."

The two became a married couple on October 19, 1989. Around that period, however, the world was undergoing subtle changes with transformations sweeping across socialist countries.

Their seemingly impossible marriage and relationship ultimately impacted both nations, serving as a crucial catalyst and stepping stone in pushing forward the Northern Policy.

Surmounting high ideological barriers, their love culminated in a traditional Korean wedding ceremony at Olympic Park on December 22, 1989, amid the celebrations of many. Their romance remains forever recorded as a love story of the century that transcended borders and ideological divides.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
(SBS Entertainment News Editor Kim Hyo-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.