Actress Ham Eun-jung surprised many by suddenly announcing she will marry director Kim Byung-woo in November, and an interview revealing that her thoughts on marriage have recently changed is drawing attention.
On the 16th, Ham Eun-jung's agency Mask Studio issued an official statement saying, "Actress Ham Eun-jung has promised to share her life journey with a cherished partner sometime in November," announcing the marriage.
The groom-to-be is director Kim Byung-woo, who is eight years her senior. He directed the films PMC: The Bunker and Omniscient Reader: The Prophet and wrote their screenplays, and he also directed the Netflix film The Great Flood, which will be released on Dec. 19. The two met at a gathering of acquaintances in the film industry, continued their relationship, developed into lovers and ultimately bore the fruit of marriage. The wedding will be held privately with both families, relatives and close acquaintances invited.
Although the sudden wedding announcement prompted suspicions of a premarital pregnancy, OSEN reporting confirmed that this was not true. It was because both families hoped the marriage would take place before the year ended.
In particular, Ham Eun-jung recently said in an interview that her thoughts about marriage had changed. In an interview following the conclusion of the KBS1 daily drama Sujimajeun Uri last October, when asked about marriage plans she said, "I want to work as long as I can. I do want to start a family, but I have acted on my own without T-ara and I want to do a little more before I go," she confessed.
She said, "The T-ara sisters say, 'Things won't all go as you say,' so I'm scared, but I still want to try. I started as a child actress and was in T-ara for more than 10 years, so I hope marriage doesn't intrude too much into my field. I have a strong desire for my work, so I personally want to make my work a bit more solid before I get married."
But less than a year later, in an interview marking the end of the KBS2 daily drama Queen's House on the 20th of last month, Ham Eun-jung told reporters she thought, "I should get married before I turn 40." The trigger for the change was none other than her mother's death. Born in 1988 and 38 years old (Korean age 36), Ham Eun-jung said, "Because my friends are all mothers, I was influenced, but I had a childish thought that entertainers can marry a little later," explaining why she had postponed marriage in the past.
She added, "I thought focusing on work came first, but after my mother's death I faced reality and felt my age," and said, "Having been active in T-ara for a long time, I don't have much data about everyday life, but I do have a dream of getting married and having children. When I do daily dramas, I receive a lot of love from older viewers, so I think there is potential," expressing her desire for marriage.
Meanwhile, Ham Eun-jung will continue a busy schedule even after marriage. She will play two roles for the first time since her debut in the MBC daily drama The First Man, which premieres in December: Ma Seorin, the granddaughter of the Dream Group chairman, and the righteous, tough Oh Jang-mi.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]