Jang Yoon-jeong cries over her ’90-year-old’ grandmother with dementia… “A strong life” (‘Unforgettable Duet’)

Singer Jang Yoon-jeong will cry over the life story of her 90-year-old grandmother with dementia. On the MBN program ‘Unforgettable Duet,’ airing on the 26th, the life story of Im Tae-hoon, the ‘lunchbox chef,’ and his 90-year-old grandmother who raised him will be revealed. Im Tae-hoon, who gained the nickname ‘lunchbox chef’ through Netflix’s ‘Black and White Chef’ and became a world-renowned chef, will appear on this episode. He garnered fame for his compelling life story of growing up in an orphanage and becoming a Chinese cuisine chef from a delivery driver, along with his solid Chinese cooking skills that supported him. On this day, he confessed, ‘My grandmother took in my siblings and me from the orphanage and raised us. My grandmother was both a father and a mother to me,’ evoking a touching moment as he expressed his gratitude towards her.

Furthermore, he tears up as he speaks to his grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia eight years ago and has become frail, saying, ‘You have to live a long time for me to be filial. Live to be 150 years old.’ Im Tae-hoon’s grandmother conveyed her affectionate feelings, saying, ‘I did everything I could to support my grandchildren.’ She sold milk cartons filled with milk after sewing large cloth bags, cooked for other households, and collected and sold scrap paper, living her life without shying away from any difficult work solely to raise her grandchildren. The grandmother revealed her devoted heart towards her grandchildren, stating, ‘There was nothing I didn’t want to do. If I didn’t do it, we would starve to death. I would do it all even now if asked.’

Jang Yoon-jeong expressed her respect for the grandmother’s heart, which wanted her grandchildren to thrive even if she had to suffer, saying, ‘She was strong.’ She cries tears of grief over the grandmother’s life, who raised her children and grandchildren in challenging circumstances. The story of Im Tae-hoon and his grandmother’s special love, which made Jang Yoon-jeong burst into tears, can be seen on ‘Unforgettable Duet’ on the 26th at 10:20 PM.

The program ‘Unforgettable Duet’ offers comfort and emotion to families facing dementia by combining the journey of finding songs from the participants’ memories, duet stages created with family, and tribute stages by memory singers that comfort them all. Singer Jang Yoon-jeong serves as the MC for the program, with Jo Hye-ryun, Son Tae-jin, and Oh My Girl’s Hyojung joining as panelists. The program received warm acclaim after just one broadcast during last year’s Chuseok and won a Silver Prize at the ‘Content Asia Awards 2025’.

Each episode features one memory singer who sings for just one person. With the heart of ‘I will remember you forever,’ they deliver sincere tributes to the cast and evoke profound resonance in the viewers.