Jeon falls in love with caring Swanson

General Manager Eric Swanson of Millennium Seoul Hilton and Musical/TV Actress Jeon Su-Kyeong were married in a gala wedding ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of Millennium Seoul Hilton on Sept. 22, 2014. It was attended by an estimated 600 prominent civic figures, including popular stars such as senior top star Shin Sung-il, former US Congressman Kim Chang-jun (Jay Kim) and Chairman Lee Kyung-sik of The Korea Post (publisher of four English, Korean media units).

A ‘countless’ number of popular movie-TV stars were seen in attendance at the wedding ceremony, who included Ms. In Sooni (one of Korea’s top singers), Actor Hwang Jung-min (who emceed the ceremony), Chung Jun-ho, Ms. Lee Ha-jeong, Nam Kyung-ju (musical actor), Ms. IB (singer), Im Ha-ryong (popular gagman), Ms. Lee Young-Ja (popular gagwoman), Lee Hwi-jae, Hong Suk-chun, Lee Jong-hyuk and Oh Man-suk.

▲Jeon and Swanson. Could anyone be happier?

Before the ceremony started, many photographs, some in monochrome, were shown on two large screens on the wall showing them dating and introducing the boyhood of GM Swasnon and his days as an officer of the United States Navy?as well as his mother, Mrs. Cho Chang-soo, curator of the Korean Culture Hall of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C., for 44 years. She is ne of the most revered persons in Korea for her invaluable role played for the introduction of Korean culture and art to the American people and the world and for the return of some of priceless national treasures of Korea from the United States. (http://koreapost.koreafree.co.kr/board/index.html?id=posttours&no=100)The ceremony started with two pretty twin girls clad in pure white walking on the runway to the alter and lighting the two large wedding candles.

▲ Ms. Jeon (left) and Swanson

This was followed by the groom walking on the runway to the altar and then the long-awaited moment--appearance of the bride, Ms. Jeon Su-kyeong.

She was 44 years old but never looked her age. Many guests who did not know her age said, “I would say she is the mid-thirties.” They all agreed that she was most beautiful when she smiled. It appeared as if she knew how to smile.

The groom had had a light traffic accident earlier on that day and had a bandage on his nose, but it was hardly visible from a distance.

There were congratulatory messages given by senior top starts who introduced the bride and groom and how they became enamored with each other.

▲ Ms. Jeon at the pre-wedding press meeting.

However, nothing told their relationship more eloquently than the ‘Letters’ the bride and groom exchanged with each other. Here is an unofficial English translation of the (Love) Letter of the Bride in Korean:

Eric,
There have been so many things in my life. After the first half of my life, I met you for the first time. I confessed to you that I was recovering from an operation but you were never surprised or embarrassed but on the contrary you looked worried about me and tried to comfort me and cheer me up. There I felt a mature love having started growing between us.

▲Ms. Jeon and Swanson on the piano.

Thenceforth, communication between us has been by no means so smooth?let alone the problems coming from the cultural difference. However, we kept meeting although not always easy, and became more and more convinced that our love will surely bear a sweet fruit.Eric, you are a precious gift whom God has given me.I realized it a long time after I had met you. I had written in my diary when I had a hard time with a prayer asking God to send me a certain type of man as my spouse. You appeared before me with the image of that man.

Eric, I know you are not a perfect person.However, staying together I feel you are changing to be a better and better person.

There are so many things for which I am grateful to you. I am grateful to you because you have truthfully told me everything from the beginning; I am grateful because I have been able to discuss with you everything and I am grateful to you because when I took care of you at the time of your operation you were worried about me more than about yourself.

▲Bethroded couple kissing with each other

More than anything else, I am so grateful to you as you truly loved my twin daughters.

Erick, you and I live together understanding and caring for each other as we do now. As a mature wife of you, I will love you just for what you are. And I promise I will never scratch Bagaji (gourd), meaning that I will never be a nagging wife.

So we make the second half of our life a happy one together with my children.--Jeon Su-kyeong who wants to be your lovely wife at the threshold of the autumn of 2014.

Then came the Love Letter of the groom:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old grieves, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I love you, three words that cannot begin to tell you how I feel about you, but at least they are a start. When I think of you the first thing that comes to my mind is your eyes, the way they light up every time you look at me is perhaps the most rewarding sight ever.

They hold so much love for me that I could gaze into them forever and be lost.I love being by your side and being your co-partner in this journey called life, nothing else could have ever given me more delight.

The dinner was very tasty and special, the kind which ordinary people could not frequently afford to have. The menu included grilled beef tenderloin and lobster with green asparagus and buckwheat risotto--plus, of course, the Janchi Guksu (Wedding Noodle) without which no couple can be declared “man and wife.”

The appetizers were also made with expensive Wando Island abalone which was marinated with chestnut and cucumber slices and the well-known Naju pear dressing. There also were fresh fruits with sesame tuile and vanilla ice-cream.

▲Bride Ms. Jeon and groom Mr. Swanson

On the very day of their wedding ceremony, the couple had a little traffic accident on the way to the venue of ceremony, from which the groom suffered a slight injury on the nose. There had been scheduled a press meeting with the bridge and groom during the day but due to this accident only Ms. Jeon appeared at the press meeting.She apologized to the reporters for the one-hour delay due the accident.Then she said: “Fortunately, the injury is not as bad as not to be able to attend the wedding ceremony. He suffered a little but deep cut under the nose. The good comes with the bad and I consider it as ‘the bad.’ She called it ‘Aekddaem’ (a common Korean expression deriving from the wise-saying of the Korean people in the past, “Bear a mishap rather willingly as the price for forestalling a misfortune of greater degree.”

At the press interview, the bride disclosed that the groom took very good care of her two twin daughters as a good father and that when they washed their hair the groom dried their hair with a hair-dryer and combed their hair.

Ms. Jeon and Swanson first met with each other in December 2010 introduced by their friend.
Jeon had a serious problem with her thyroid gland and she had an operation. Swanson stayed by her side and gave her a lot of encouragement.

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