Jung Woo-sung: E Ji-ah not a defensive person

Jung Woo-sung [Taurus Films]

Actor Jung Woo-sung had spoken about his girlfriend actress E Ji-ah before news broke that E had been married to and divorced top rocker Seo Taiji, saying she "is not a self-defensive person."

The May issue of fashion magazine BAZAAR carried an interview with Jung in which the actor spoke of how he came to like his co-star of TV series "Athena" whom he in March, had admitted to have started dating.

"She is not defensive. I had taken pride in the fact that I'm easy-going when it comes to maintaining my life as an actor but I realized that I wasn't when I met E Ji-ah," Jung explained.

"I had been responding extremely sensitively and had quite a high barricade around myself. But it looked like she didn't defend herself at all and I liked how she works hard on what she enjoys, to the point it seems silly."

"She's someone I have fun talking to. We both didn't fall for each other at first sight but our conversations were refreshing and fun so I wanted to get to know her more, and the more I did, the more fun the conversation got," Jung remarked.

Regarding them admitting their relationship, Jung said, "I couldn't help being careful. I would have tried to protect the other person if she wasn't a public figure but she was and whether she had a good or bad image, I couldn't speak on her behalf. I couldn't go about things the way that only I want to so I had to be careful."

Their relationship is now up in the air however, with E filing a suit against Seo Taiji after splitting from him in 2006, demanding for a total 5.5 billion won in alimony and division for property from their divorce. The two married in 1997.

This became known to the public late last week and has left the country in a state of shock since nobody had been aware of their relationship, let alone suspicious of the two, and both were believed to be unmarried.

Jung has not spoken to the press since, while his agency Taurus Films has said the actor is "extremely confused and taken aback" while hoping what has been reported is not true.

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Jessica Kim jesskim@