Lee Hyori's IVF Refusal Comment Gets a Second Look After *Jae-seok's B&B Rules!*

A moment from Lee Hyori and husband Lee Sang-soon's appearance on Netflix's *Jae-seok's B&B Rules!* has renewed attention on comments she made years ago about IVF and having children.

In the episode, the couple watched a family of camp guests interact — a grown child who openly admired both parents, including a father the child hoped to emulate professionally. Lee Hyori said she found it "so enviable to see someone who loves and respects their parents like that." Lee Sang-soon agreed, saying, "How wonderful must it be to respect your dad so much you want the same job." Lee Hyori added that the father "didn't seem authoritative at all — more like a friend," and after a beat said, "We could do that too," a line that drew notice.

The exchange has pulled back into circulation earlier remarks she made on two separate shows. On Tving's *Seoul Check-In* in 2022, she said she wanted a child but acknowledged that "it's not as easy as I thought" given her age, speaking openly about fertility difficulties. On another program, she said, "I don't want to go as far as IVF. If it happens naturally, I'd be grateful and raise the child." She added that her reason for wanting a child was "to have a heart that loves and is devoted," and said that even without children, "I want to live like a mother to everyone."

The old quotes have generated mixed reactions online. Some said her IVF comment showed insufficient consideration for couples actively pursuing fertility treatment; others argued her personal stance deserved respect. A number of commenters noted she was describing her own choices rather than criticizing IVF itself.

Online responses to the *Jae-seok's B&B Rules!* episode included: "Both of them seem like a genuinely good couple, with or without kids," "Her choice not to pursue IVF deserves the same respect as any other," and "There's a lot of feeling packed into that one line from Hyori."

IVF (시험관 시술, literally "test-tube procedure") carries significant social weight in South Korea, where low birth rates have made fertility treatment a public-policy topic as well as a personal one.

IVF; a phrase that has taken on outsized cultural resonance amid South Korea's birth-rate crisis