E Ji-ah and Seo Taiji said to be married, filing for divorce

Seo Taiji [Seotaiji Company]

Top Korean rocker Seo Taiji and actress E Ji-ah are said to have been married and are in the process of getting a divorce, a local media outlet reported on Thursday.

Sports daily Sport Seoul said that E Ji-ah, real name Kim Ji-ah, filed for divorce against Seo Taiji, whose real name is Jung Hyun-chul, in January of this year.

The news comes as a shock since nobody had been aware of their relationship, let alone suspicious of the two. E was spotted at Seo Taiji's concert in March 2009 but was presumed to have been a fan of the top artist.

Furthermore, both were believed to be unmarried -- Seo Taiji has kept his personal life closed to the public although it would have been difficult for his marriage to have gone unnoticed due to his high-profile life and E recently admitted she is dating top Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, her co-star of TV series "Athena."

Nonetheless, the two's legal representatives have completed two rounds of hearings, last month and this month, with the Seoul Family Court, Sports Seoul stated.

The paper said it is unclear when the two married but speculated they were able to keep their relationship a secret by spending their time together overseas, mostly in the U.S. and Japan.

Seo Taiji, who debuted as a member of a metal band Sinawe but switched gears to his band Seo Taiji & Boys in 1992, became a million seller with four albums but left for the U.S. in 1996 after abruptly announcing his retirement as an artist.

He returned to the local music scene in the late 1990s however and has maintained his reputation as one of the most respected artists in the country.

E made her debut in the 2007 historical epic "Four Gods" as Suzini, the love interest of Hallyu star Bae Yong-jun. She also appeared in the big screen with "My Love, Ugly Duckling" alongside actor Kang Ji-hwan.

Korean actress E Ji-ah [Official E Ji-ah website]

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Jessica Kim jesskim@