Ko Ji-yong, a former member of Sechs Kies, belatedly admitted to divorcing his doctor wife Heo Yang-im, and 'divorce signals' between the two have been spotted in many places.
Ko Ji-yong confessed on the 29th that he divorced his ex-wife Heo Yang-im two years ago, and the marriage ended in 2025.
Since Ko Ji-yong effectively retired from the entertainment industry after Sechs Kies disbanded, he rarely appears on broadcasts, but in the year he divorced Heo Yang-im he made a surprise appearance on KBS2's variety show "Home Men" and drew much attention.
Compared with his appearances on "The Return of Superman" and Infinite Challenge, he lost weight rapidly, prompting "health concern" rumors, and Sechs Kies bandmate and "Home Men" MC Eun Ji-won worried, saying, "It didn't look like dieting. He looked unhealthy." The production team tried to contact Ko Ji-yong directly, and he spoke out himself.
Ko Ji-yong said, "I was diagnosed overall with decreased liver function. And two years ago my liver levels rose sharply and I was hospitalized," and added, "My mother was surprised, and the doctor immediately advised abstaining from alcohol." Ko Ji-yong, who is 180 cm tall and dropped to 64 kg, felt something wrong with his body and said, "After that I did not touch a single drop of alcohol for six months." Eun Ji-won said, "He had said before that he often drank because of work."
Turning from a popular idol to leaving the entertainment industry and trying various businesses, Ko Ji-yong worked at a shabu-shabu specialty restaurant, and some online communities speculated, "After failing in real estate business, he works at a meat restaurant." In response, he recalled, "After my health declined I paid attention to my diet and naturally became interested in the food service industry," adding, "I juggled various businesses such as real estate and bidets, which caused great stress. At that time I was so struggling that I went to a psychiatrist and took tranquilizers."
Ko Ji-yong also shared an update on Seung-jae, who was loved on "The Return of Superman," saying, "He is so good at music that he entered a music gifted academy and is learning the violin." Seung-jae had shown gifted language intelligence in the top 0.1% even at age 3, drawing attention as the "nation's little genius." MC Baek Z Young said, "He really has grown a lot," unable to close her mouth.
At the time Ko Ji-yong mentioned his mother and son Seung-jae, but he never spoke about his wife Heo Yang-im. It turned out they had divorced, and the news of the marital breakup after two years added to the sadness.
On Heo Yang-im's SNS, all photos of her ex-husband Ko Ji-yong were erased, and in a letter from the son who recently went on an overseas ski camp there was no trace of Ko Ji-yong. Although the divorce was revealed late, "signs of divorce" had been detected here and there.
Meanwhile, Ko Ji-yong debuted in 1997 as a member of the idol group Sechs Kies and was loved as a first-generation idol, but after the group disbanded he retired from the entertainment industry. He later married the beautiful doctor Heo Yang-im, a graduate of Ewha in 2013, and the following year they welcomed a son. However, in 2025 they divorced after 12 years of marriage, and custody was awarded to the mother, Heo Yang-im. <
[Photo] Screenshot from "Home Men," SNS
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