On Channel S’s Jeon Hyun-moo Plan 3, she recalls appearing as an “eating buddy” with Jeong Ryeowon.

Lee Jung-eun, widely celebrated for her versatility, reveals that during her theater days she earned only 200,000 won per year and even took up restaurant work to make ends meet. She spoke about these hardships during her appearance on Channel S’s reality program Jeon Hyun-moo Plan 3 on the 31st of last month, joining actress Jeong Ryeowon as a “eating buddy” and heading to Boryeong for a “64th street” food trip with Jeon Hyun-moo and KwakTube.

During the outing, the group moved to a muk restaurant in Boryeong to discuss her current life and past experiences. On the show, Jeon Hyun-moo asked about her early years, and she replied, “I did theater for a long time. Back then I earned 200,000 won a year,” which drew astonishment from the others. KwakTube expressed disbelief, asking, “Was that how you survived?”

Lee notes that those experiences of taking on restaurant work to support herself ultimately became a valuable asset to her acting career. She began on stage and in musical theatre, debuting in 1991’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Since then, she has appeared in films such as Taxi Driver (2017) and Parasite (2019), and in television dramas including Oh My Ghost (2015), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Our Blues (2022).

Her later work has earned broad recognition, including a Presidential Commendation at the 16th Korea Public Culture and Arts Awards in 2025. Recently, the film The Woman in the White Car, in which she co-stars with Jeong Ryeowon, opened in theaters. The film traces a suspenseful mystery in which different people remember the same day differently as police statements become conflicting. Lee attended the press event for The Woman in the White Car at CGV in Yongsan on November 27, greeting the press.