Kim Jong-kook announces marriage online in handwritten letter to fans

“I plan to hold the ceremony quietly in the near future with family, relatives and a few acquaintances¹, keeping it fairly small,” he wrote.

“Although I have always thought to myself that one day I would write and post a message like this, actually sitting down to write it makes me feel far more nervous than I imagined,” he continued. “I have dropped a few hints² here and there, but I know it will still come as a sudden surprise to many of you.”

“This year marks my 30th debut³ anniversary⁴, and instead of making the album I wanted to, I ended up getting to have my other half,” Kim added. “I hope you will still congratulate me and cheer me on. It may be very late, but I am relieved⁵ that it is finally happening. I will do my best to live well.”

“Thanks to all of you, who have been my greatest source of strength for so long, I am able to marry and take on this new challenge in life,” he said in closing. “I will continue to work harder and live diligently⁶.”

In April this year, Kim purchased a 243-square-meter (2,615-square-foot) apartment in Apelbaum 2nd Complex in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, for 6.2 billion won ($4.48 million).

Kim debuted⁷ as part of pop trio Turbo in 1995 and has since expanded his career to appearances in various entertainment shows, including “Family Outing” (2008-2010) and “Running Man” (2010-). Kim also started his own comedic YouTube channel focusing on exercise content, “Gym Jong Kook,” in June 2021.