2019 was a challenging year for the Kpop entertainment business, it was also filled with ups and downs for many actors.
In 2019, many famous couples filed for divorce, some who had been married for more than 20 years while others only 2 or 3 years into their marriage.
Divorce announcements are uncommon in the Korean entertainment business but this year, five famous Korean couples officially announced their plans to get a divorce.
While the majority of the couple kept everything private, one couple on our list went all out exposing details about their private lives through the internet.
Related: The Most Disappointing Kdramas of 2019- “Melting Me Softly,” “Encounter” And More
Let’s take a look at these Korean celebrity couples who filed for divorce in 2019.
Singer Jang Hye Jin
Singer Jang Hye Jin, who was married to her husband Kang Seung Ho since 1992, announced they got a divorce on September 2. They had a daughter together.
According to an official statement from her agency, her former husband, who works as the CEO of CAN Entertainment, had different personalities and had agreed to get a divorce due to those issues. The agency added that they have agreed to continue to support each other and remain good friends.
However, they didn’t share many details about their divorce proceedings. It was a shocking announcement for a couple that has been together for 27 years.
Kim Na Young
Kim Na Young is one of the first Korean celebrities to announce her plans of getting a divorce in 2019. She suffered greatly due to her husband’s actions.
Her husband found himself in hot waters after establishing a futures and options exchange business without permission from the Financial Supervisory Commission and pocketing unfair profits. Once the news of his arrest made its way to the internet, Kim Na Young was heavily criticized for her husband’s immoral actions.
She had to halt her activities on TV and social media and apologize to the public due to his mistakes. And in January of 2019, she announced her divorce from her husband, she is now a single mother raising two kids.
She returned to activities in May of 2019, she is a popular singer who’s voice is regarded as one of the best voices of her generation.
Park Hae Mi
The case of Park Hae Mi’s husband has made headlines everywhere due to its unfortunate outcome.
Her husband drove a car into a 25-ton truck that was parked on the side of the road, resulting in the deaths of two passengers. K-netizens were furious with her former husband’s irresponsible actions that led to the death of two innocent people. It was ruled a DUI case and he’s currently serving his prison sentence.
On May 14, her legal representative issued an official statement to the press confirming that the couple have decided to get a divorce after 25 years of marriage. They both amicably agreed to the divorce.
However, they declined to comment on any further details relating to the divorce.
Park Hae Mi had to deal with the results of her ex-husband’s mistakes, she halted all her activities and later donated her performance fees in an effort to subside the public anger with her husband.
Park Hae Mi is a well-known actress who appeared in many kdramas across the years most notably in “High Kick,” “Cheer Up” and “Empress Ki.”
Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo
On June 27 morning fans woke up to the shocking announcement of the famous Song-Song couple divorce.
Song Joong Ki released an official statement through his lawyer relaying that he has filed for divorce from Song Hye Kyo.
What’s shocking was that Chinese news outlet Sina reported the couple was not on good terms and will be filing for a divorce in early 2019. Back then, fans weren’t happy with Sina reporting such statements out of the blue. Sina suggested that the couple is not wearing their wedding ring which is one of the hints at their rocky relationship.
In Song Joong Ki official statement, he says he wishes to reach amicable divorce without blaming each other and arguing who’s at fault. He also refused to state what went wrong since it’s about their private lives.
“Rather than denouncing one another and arguing over who is to blame, I hope that the divorce process can be wrapped up amicably.”
Song Hye Kyo’s side confirmed the news and revealed the two have decided to amicably file for divorce. Song Hye Kyo’s agency stated their personalities didn’t match (they were different) and it became too difficult to overcome their differences which is why they decided to get a divorce.
Sports Chosun has reported the couple had actually been living separately since September 2018 (less than a year after their marriage). They reportedly stopped living together after Song Joong Ki began filming for his drama “Arthdal Chronicles” back in September of 2018.
Park Bo Gum was unfortunately caught in the middle of their divorce news. He is a good friend of Song Joong Ki and it all happened because of his choice in dramas. Earlier this year, he and Song Hye Kyo played lovers in the tvN drama “Boyfriend” aka “Encounter.” Back then, Song Joong Ki and Park Bo Gum issued a warning statement promising to sue whoever makes up false news and drags Park Bo Gum’s name into their divorce, the speculations regarding his involvement stopped soon after.
On July 22 at 10 a.m. KST, Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki divorce arbitration was held privately at the Seoul Family Court. The two actors have reached an agreement and were officially divorced. A source from the Seoul Family Court told news outlets that they won’t share specific details about the divorce proceedings with the public.
Shortly after the news was announced, Song Hye Kyo’s agency released an official statement confirming the divorce was finalized today. They also shared that the couple decided to get a divorce without alimony or division of property.
Related: Song Hye Kyo Finally Feels Comfortable Enough To Do Domestic Activities?
Following that, Song Hye Kyo’s agency also took strict legal action against those who defamed her character and attacked her because of the divorce news.
It was truly one of the most shocking divorce announcements of the Korean entertainment business, many thought it was a lame joke at first. They’re upset the couple divorced but still wish them the best.
Ahn Jae Hyun and Ku Hye Sun
The most dramatic and unsettling controversy surrounding divorce in South Korea would have to be Ku Hye Sun and Ahn Jae Hyun.
What made it so dramatic was Ku Hye Sun’s reaction to the fact that Ahn Jae Hyun wanted a divorce.
Ahn Jae Hyun and Ku Hye Sun met on the set of “Blood” back in 2016, and they married that next year. They were considered one of the best and happiest Korean celebrity couple, everyone showed their support to the couple and loved their interactions.
However, beneath the surface lied huge misunderstandings. In the early hours of August 18 KST, Ku Hye Sun posted a message to Instagram stating that her husband wants a divorce.
“After we lost our spark, my husband had a change of heart and wants a divorce, and I want to keep my family together. (Next week, my husband representative will be releasing the news reports and I am informing you that they are completely untrue. Hoping for it to be true.”
The news was shocking. Initially, their agency (they both share the same one) had issued a statement confirming they were getting a divorce. This led to Ku Hye Sun posting a string of rants to Instagram about her position and why she refuses to get a divorce. She even said he found her nipples to be small which angered k-netizens.
From then on, Ku Hye Sun continued to rant about their divorce on social media accusing him of cheating on her and of drunkenly coming home among other things. For a while, k-netizens heavily criticized Ahn Jae Hyun and sided with Ku Hye Sun.
Her ultimate downfall was caused partially by her own actions, she proceeded to post private photos of Ahn Jae Hyun in a robe claiming he cheated on her, she also alleged that he was in a relationship with his currently ongoing drama co-star.
Back then, Oh Yeon Seofirmly denied those reports and filed a lawsuit against Ku Hye Sun. Dispatch then released a detailed report about their toxic relationship and how Ku Hye Sun disregarded Ahn Jae Hyun’s feelings while he was battling depression.
This caused many people to turn their backs on her. For a while, she continued to claim he cheated on her and that she would be filing for a counter-suit to his divorce lawsuit. At one point, she even stated she couldn’t get a divorce because he has her pet dog.
On September 5, lawyer Bang Jung Hyun, representing Ahn Jae Hyun, released an official long statement clarifying rumors surrounding the actor and his decision to file for divorce from Ku Hye Sun.
In his official statement, he starts by relaying Ahn Jae Hyun’s apology,
“I’m sorry for causing controversy due to our marriage, which is a personal matter.”
The lawyer goes on to explain that Ku Hye Sun exaggerated the truth and her statements are ‘skewed,’ as a result, Ahn Jae Hyun’s reputation was severely damaged and the damage spread into a third party.
Later, Ku Hye Sun’s lawyer explained that Ahn Jae Hyun submitted an application to the Seoul Family Court on September 9, and that it was delivered to Ku Hye Sun on September 18.
“Ku Hye Sun has expressed her desire to protect her family several times, but she thought it would be difficult to protect her family any longer at the time when the lawsuit was filed. In order to protect herself now, and since her judgment is that the reason for the breaking of their marriage is in Ahn Jae-hyun’s hands; she plans to file a counterclaim against Ahn Jae Hyun with the Seoul Family Court soon.
In addition, Ku Hye Sun will submit all the evidence (including photos) of what she claimed when proceeding with the lawsuit mentioned above.”
Ku Hye Sun went on to announce her hiatus but continued to be active on social media, she was also interviewed by news outlets and had ongoing activities.
But it seems that she now wants to put it all behind her, she confirmed in a recent interview held on November 27 that they’re indeed getting a divorce,
“We have to get a divorce. There is no reason for him to see me again. Most of all, it’s hard to accept the fact that he discussed his personal life with the agency.”
Ku Hye Sun and Ahn Jae Hyun divorce isn’t finalized yet as of this writing, but it been confirmed the two are indeed getting a divorce.
Which one of these divorce announcements shocked you the most?
