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updated 20 Dec 2011, 05:27
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Tue, Dec 20, 2011
The Korea Herald/ANN
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Popular South Korean actress secretly married

Top Korean actress Lee Young-ae tied the knot with a Korean-American businessman secretly in the United States on Monday (August 24), her legal consulting firm said on Tuesday.

Dongin Law Group said in a press release that Lee was married to Mr. Jeong who operates an IT firm in the United States. It said the wedding was held in the United States because the bridegroom's family and relatives are living there.

News reports said Mr Jeong, 54, studied at University of Illinois and is currently engaged in IT-related telecommunication business. Lee, 38, is planning to settle in the United States but will continue her activities as an actress in Korea, Dongin said.

The wedding was attended only by family members and close acquaintances and Lee will not disclose her husband's profile or wedding pictures for privacy reasons, according to the legal firm.

Lee, considered one of the most influential actresses in South Korea with a broad fan base built on the Korean Wave throughout East and Southeast Asian countries, debuted in a television commercial in 1991, according to Yonhap News. She started gaining stardom in TV dramas and movies with her composed image and acting prowess.

Lee's popularity exploded after her starring performance in the popular Korean drama Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum), which was first released overseas in 2004 and quickly won a following, according to Yonhap.

The fictional historical drama reached as far as Iranian television in 2007 and drew 86 per cent of viewers, an unprecedented record for a Korean show.

She was named best actress in Korea's Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2005 and at Baeksang Art Awards in 2006 for the film Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, directed by Park Chan-wook. In 2007, she received the Medal of Culture Merit from the South Korean government for her contribution to the Korean Wave phenomena.

Yonhap said despite her fame, Lee has always been considered somewhat of a "secretive celebrity", rarely showing her face on variety talk shows and successfully keeping her personal life private.

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