It’s Official: Biggest Celebrity Weddings in K-Pop Land

One of the biggest weddings of 2013 is set to take place this coming weekend.  Lee Byung Hun and Lee Min Jung are due to marry on August 10 at the Seoul Grand Hyatt Hotel in a private ceremony.  The ceremony was guessed by a wedding planner to likely cost around 120 million won, and BH Entertainment revealed that the two stars will have a guest list of 900 family and friends.  

Though promising to be a star-studded event, Lee Byung Hun and Lee Min Jung’s wedding has proven not to be the most fan-frenzied, paparazzi-stalked, media-covered wedding of K-pop land.  Despite public interest, the lead-up to this weekend’s wedding has seemed relatively calm with plenty of well-wishes.  The dubious honor of most media-covered wedding might be bestowed upon the 2010 wedding of Jang Dong Gun and Ko So Young who were dubbed the Korean Brangelina.  

However, there have been a plethora of weddings in recent years that marked milestones in K-pop history.  Can you answer the following questions?  Who was the first to marry in the previous idol generation of S.E.S, Fin.K.L, and Baby V.O.X.?  Who was the first to marry of the current idol crop of Wonder Girls, Girls’ Generation, and Miss A?  When did the nation’s MC and the nation’s show-maker MC marry?  Which movie star lost half of his fans due to their grief and shock over his marriage?    

Click through the gallery to reminisce about the biggest weddings of K-pop land.  

Wonder Girls member Sunye and James Park married on January 26, 2013 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.  The first idol of her generation to marry and become a mother, Sunye’s wedding had 600 guests including her Wonder Girls members, Girls’ Generation members, 2AM members, and more.  Sunye is taking an indefinite break from the industry to focus on married life and is planning on giving birth to their child in Canada in the fall.    

S.E.S. member Eugene and actor Ki Tae Young married on July 23, 2011 at a church outside of Seoul.  The two stars met on the set of 2009 MBC drama “Creating Destiny” where they played two lead characters that eventually fell in love and married.  The two officially started dating in 2010, though netizens speculate they may have started dating even earlier due to Eugene’s surprise appearance for Tae Young’s birthday, and dated for over a year before marrying.      

S.E.S. member Shoo and professional basketball player Im Hyo Sung married on April 11, 2010 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seoul.  Shoo was the first idol of her generation to marry and her fellow S.E.S. members Eugene and Bada were her bridesmaids.  Shoo met Im Hyo Sung at a basketball game while exchanging autographs.  The two have three children (a son who was born in 2011 and twin daughters that were born in 2013).       

“Running Man” member and rapper Haha and singer Byul married on November 30, 2012 at the 63 Building in Seoul.  The two stars were friends for many years until, in March 2012, Haha told Byul he was interested in her and wanted to marry her.  Byul, initially surprised, was won over by his sincerity.  The two wasted little time and married that year.  Byul and Haha have a son who was born in 2013.   

Epik High member Tablo and actress Kang Hye Jung married on October 26, 2009 at the Bailey House in Seoul.  Their first meeting could have ended in disaster.  Tablo had gone to a cell phone store to buy a phone when he noticed a woman, not recognizing her as Kang Hye Jung, putting a screen protector onto her phone.  He commented that it was so childish and told her not to bother with it.  Annoyed, Kang Hye Jung left without responding.  Later, the store clerk mentioned to Tablo who the actress was and he was completely mortified as he happened to be a fan.  Kang Hye Jung also had not recognized Tablo, but, upon learning the identity of the annoying customer, became curious to meet Tablo.  The two have a daughter who was born in 2010.    

Actor Kwon Sang Woo and former Miss Korea Son Tae Young married at the Shilla Hotel on September 28, 2008.  While starring in the 2007 KBS drama “Bad Love,” Kwon Sang Woo’s co-star Kim Sung Soo introduced the actor to Son Tae Young at a dinner party; Kwon Sang Woo was smitten and the two married despite the shocked consternation (and grief) of the actor’s fans.  Kwon Sang Woo said that after his marriage, his fan café dropped from 240,000 to 135,000.  The two stars have a son who was born in 2009 and were able to weather the storm that halted temporarily halted their careers.    

Actor Yoo Ji Tae and actress Kim Hyo Jin married on December 2, 2011 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.  The two stars met on the set of a photo shoot, knew each other for about nine years, and dated for five years before tying the knot.  The stars revealed that they picked December 2 as their wedding date because it was the day they started dating.  They donated monetary gifts from their wedding to World Vision to help an elementary school in Myanmar.    

Jang Dong Gun and Ko So Young married on May 2, 2010 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.  The two stars met on the set of the 1999 film “Love Wind, Love Song” and quickly became close friends but resisted their feelings due to their fear of losing their friendship.  A chance meeting would change their fates forever.  In 2007, Ko So Young was visiting friends in the U.S. while Jang Dong Gun was in the U.S. for work.  Ko So Young said that they randomly ran into each on the street and were even wearing the same shirt.  They met for dinner, talked for hours, and then went their separate ways but were unable to stop thinking about each other.  Soon after, Jang Dong Gun sent her a text confessing his feelings for her and she still has texts from that time saved to this day.  During the filming of 2010 film “The Warrior’s Way,” Jang Dong Gun decided to propose to Ko So Young.  The two stars have a son who was born in 2010.  

Show-maker MC Kang Ho Dong and Lee Hyo Jin married on November 12, 2006 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.  Kang Ho Dong’s close friend Yoo Jae Suk went on a date with a woman who brought her friend; though the date did not work out, Yoo Jae Suk introduced the woman’s friend to Kang Ho Dong.  Kang Ho Dong said that the moment he laid eyes on his wife, he thought of one word: marriage.  The two have a son who was born in 2009.  

The beloved “Nation’s MC” Yoo Jae Suk and announcer Na Kyung Eun married on July 6, 2008 at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.  Yoo jae Suk and Na Kyung Eun met on the set of MBC variety program “Infinite Challenge” in 2006.  It was reported that 1000 guests attended the wedding, and the guest list was a veritable “who’s who” of the Korean entertainment industry.  The two have a son who was born in 2010.  

Actress Han Ga In and actor Yeon Jeong Hun married on April 26, 2005 at the Walker Hill hotel in Seoul.  Han Ga In and Yeon Jeong Hun met on the set of the 2003 KBS drama “Yellow Handkerchief” where they played two characters that fall in love.  In a case of life imitating art, Han Ga In and Yeon Jeong Hun fell for each other and started dating while working on the drama.  After eight years of marriage, the two were reported to be interested in having a baby.