Celebrities who married across borders, such as Song Joong-ki and Koo Jun-yeop, are attracting attention.
In the 'This is crazy these days' corner of KBS2's 'Year-Round Plus' aired on the 9th, we looked into stars who crossed borders and entered into international marriages.
Song Joong-ki and former British actress Katie Louise Saunders announced their marriage and pregnancy news on January 30th. Song Joong-ki's remarriage was a hot topic among stars. In a street survey, citizens often thought of Song Joong-ki when asked, 'Stars that come to mind when it comes to international marriages.' Beenzino and Chu Ja-hyun were also mentioned.
The representative of a marriage information company said, "In the past, people thought that international marriage was difficult for people without a spouse to get married, but these days, many people seem to think that dating and marriage are possible, perhaps because they come into contact with many foreigners. “Also, surprisingly, there is an increasing number of inquiries from foreigners living in Korea who are signing up and asking, ‘Can I marry a Korean?’”
China's top actor Tang Wei and director Kim Tae-yong met in 2011 through the movie 'Late Autumn' and married in 2014. Currently, the couple is raising an 8-year-old daughter. Tang Wei expressed her affection for her husband at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival, saying, "I am lucky to have met director Kim Tae-yong."
The international marriage of Koo Jun-yeop of the group Clone and Taiwan's top actress Seo Hee-won, which bore fruit after 20 years of love, also attracted attention. Rapper Beenzino and Stefanie Michova from Germany registered their marriage in August last year after eight years of dating and became a couple. Comedian Kim Hye-sun became married to German Stefan Siegel.
Kim Hye-sun, who has been married for 6 years, said about her first meeting with her husband, "I studied abroad in Germany for about 2 and a half years, and met my husband on a blind date. I arrived about an hour late, but my husband waited for me, so as soon as I met her for the first time, I thought, 'I would rather marry this person than date him. “I thought, ‘It would be nice to do it,’” he said. Stefan Siegel recalled, "I waited for my wife for an hour and a half. Hye-sun came and I was very excited. We talked a lot. It is a good memory."
Regarding the difficulties of international marriage, Kim Hye-sun said, "Rather than a cultural difference, there is a lot of difference in speed. Even when we go somewhere, I 'get out quickly', but my husband is the slow-moving type. I still feel frustrated because of that." Stefan Siegel made everyone laugh, saying, "I'm not in a hurry when I live in Germany, but when I live in Korea, I tend to be fast. I speak Korean too quickly. Hyeseon thinks I'm a sloth."
Regarding the advantages of international marriage, Kim Hye-sun said, "It feels like going on a trip even when I go to my in-laws' house. It's good because I don't have to live with my in-laws." He also joked, "I've never fought. Because I can't speak the language. There are language limitations, so just be patient. People have become a little more mellow."
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr