Rumors of dating are passed over, and increasingly more stars are announcing marriages directly. With a trend of "direct-to-marriage," where the person involved reveals it via a handwritten letter or the agency announces it, fans who receive the news feel conflicted.
Joyful news keeps coming to the entertainment industry almost daily. From singers to actors, stars have been announcing marriages as they start families.
The beginning was Lucy Choi Sang-yeop. On the 17th, his agency Mystic Story announced that Choi Sang-yeop would marry a non-celebrity fiancée in August. Choi Sang-yeop also said, "I am about to start a new chapter in life with someone who has cherished and relied on each other for a long time," and said his passion and responsibility for music remain unchanged and that he will show better music and a better appearance on stage.
Next, rapper Timmy announced his marriage. On the 18th, Timmy said, "I have met someone I want to spend my life with. I want to see them every day; they are so precious that I would not regret giving everything to them," and announced he will marry artist Lee Ha. Timmy is scheduled to marry on Sept. 13.
Spica's Yang Jiwon and musical actor Yang Jun-mo confessed marriage, pregnancy and divorce all at once. Yang Jun-mo said he divorced three years ago and decided to marry after meeting Yang Jiwon while continuing a new life. Yang Jiwon also said she will marry Yang Jun-mo and that she became pregnant during the process. Yang Jiwon announced marriage and pregnancy, and Yang Jun-mo announced divorce and marriage at the same time, surprising people.
Former Nine Muses member Jo Ga-bin also announced her marriage without dating rumors. Jo Ga-bin said she will marry actor Hwang Min-su in October, saying, "Although there were moments of arguing during the four years we were together, each time this person, endlessly warm and loving, always soothed my feelings before pride and never hesitated to say sorry, and being with this person made me believe I can walk through all the days ahead with strength."
Jang Dong-yoon and Kim Seung-yoon also joined this lineup by announcing their marriages without dating rumors. According to OSEN reporting, Jang Dong-yoon and Kim Seung-yoon are scheduled to marry in October and plan to hold a small, quiet ceremony inviting parents and relatives from both families. The two, who worked together as director and actor on a project, promised marriage based on deepened trust and faith.
What these people have in common is that they went straight to marriage without notable signals or public relationships. This is a phenomenon that has not been hard to find in the entertainment industry recently. Skipping the dating stage and announcing marriage is read as protection of private life and consideration for non-celebrity spouses. It can also be seen as a mature attitude of not burdening the public with personal life matters outside of works or activities.
But fans faced with a "surprise" announcement inevitably have mixed feelings. The sense of disconnect comes from being notified only of the final result without a buffer zone to recognize and process the steps from dating to marriage, and because the intimacy built through friendly communication can collapse in an instant in the face of the real-life event of marriage and feel like a businesslike distance.
Even celebrities who receive the public's love do not need to disclose all of their private lives before being celebrities. As fandom culture has matured recently, fans respect stars' private lives and freely offer congratulations and support for realistic matters such as dating and marriage. What matters in this process is "how it is conveyed," and it is a time that requires carefulness in considering and communicating the emotional shock of fans who supported them.
[OSEN]