Famous singer Seo Tai-ji spoke up about his divorce with actress E Ji-ah for the first time on Saturday, claiming that the two went their separate ways in June 2000.
In a press release, Seo said that the two silently signed a marriage registration in October 1997 after Seo left for the U.S., putting a stop to his singing career in Korea a year earlier.
The couple initially met through a friend in 1993 and kept in touch through letters and telephone conversations, he said.
“We begun our life as a married couple beginning on Oct. 12, 1997, however, we soon noticed that our personalities and our future plans were different,” said Seo. “So, we separated in June 2000 and eventually went other ways, living our own separate lives.”
He added that their relationship as a married couple legally ended on August 9, 2006 according to a U.S. court.
Actress E, who is reportedly in a relationship with actor Jung Woo-sung, withdrew her legal dispute against her former husband Seo on Saturday.
She had requested 5 billion won as property settlement and 500 million won as alimony from Seo earlier. However, her lawyers said that she decided not to go ahead with the suit because of the psychological pain experienced by not only herself, but also her families and friends due to the event.
By Cho Ji-hyun
