South Korean Entertainer Hong Jin-kyung Announces Divorce After 22 Years of Marriage

South Korean entertainer Hong Jin-kyung has announced her divorce after 22 years of marriage.

On the 6th, it was reported that Hong Jin-kyung and her husband have amicably agreed to divorce. According to a media report, there were no faults on either side, and both families continue to maintain their relationships. Hong Jin-kyung married a businessman five years her senior in 2003 and gave birth to their daughter, Rael, in 2010.

Before the news of the divorce was made public, Hong Jin-kyung planned to share her feelings in a pre-recorded video on Jung Sun-hee's YouTube channel. The video was released on the 6th, and it is reported that she is currently overseas due to personal reasons.

Jung Sun-hee mentioned on her YouTube channel, "I learned a few months ago that my friend had divorced," to which Hong Jin-kyung responded, "Rael is doing well, and I maintain a good relationship with Rael's father. It's unfortunate that we only found true friendship after becoming strangers."

She added, "I first met Rael's father in 1998. For 28 years, I only knew and lived with him. You might wonder why we separated, but it's not anyone's fault; we just decided to live differently. It was only after separating that we found true friendship. He is still a good brother to me."

In response to Jung Sun-hee's joke, "So, are you announcing a reunion next year? There's a romantic vibe," Hong Jin-kyung laughed and said, "He often comes to the house, and both our families, including our mothers, get along well. I didn't realize how cool our mothers are, almost Hollywood-level."

Regarding the reason for the divorce, she explained, "There wasn't a decisive fault on anyone's part. My mother-in-law advised announcing it after Rael grew up a bit more. Journalists and my agency were aware and requested to publish the news, but I asked them to wait. I couldn't delay any longer, so I informed my mother-in-law of the situation."

Hong Jin-kyung debuted in 1993 after winning the Best Pose Award at the 2nd Super Elite Model Contest. She has since been active in variety shows and acting, winning the KBS Entertainment Awards' Excellence Award and the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards' Best Female Entertainer in TV in 2023. She currently appears on MBC's 'Reasonable Architecture - Space Traveler' and the YouTube channel 'Study King Jin Genius.'

Reported by Lee So-jung, TenAsia forusojung@tenasia.co.kr