'CLOY' star and North Korean defector Kim Ara ties the knot with non-showbiz partner
Real-life Crash Landing On You couple Korean actress Kim Ara said yes to forever as she has now tied the knot with her non-celebrity partner.
In a report by allkpop, the pair got married on Oct. 28. Before this, Kim had already announced that she was ready to take the next step with her partner on her Instagram account back in September.
In her post, she shared their prenup pictures, including a black-and-white photo of her and her partner looking at each other affectionately while clad in formal wear. Other pictures showed the actress as a blooming bride in her wedding dress.
"Getting married at the end of October," Kim captioned her post.
"I want to share this good news with those who have watched and supported me for a long time. Please congratulate me and I will make you a beautiful family," her translated message read.
Kim started her acting career in 2016, starring in the horror-mystery series The Wailing. In 2019, she landed a role in the hit romantic-comedy drama, Crash Landing On You, which is about a South Korean chaebol who ended up in North Korea after a devastating paragliding accident. Her other roles include Tempted, The Soul-Mate, and Six Ball.
Kim is notable for choosing to defect from her home country North Korea, having left in 2002 at the age of 12. While she has not revealed the reason for it, reports have stated that many individuals decided to leave the country in the mid-1990s because of hunger and economic difficulties.
Over the years, however, the majority of North Koreans defected because they were reportedly against the current political situation.
In an interview on NoKo Insight, Kim was asked about her most rewarding experience while acting as a North Korean defector.
"I'm so grateful when a drama I starred in is seen by North Korean people. This makes me so happy! Crash Landing on You was sent to North Korea right after being broadcasted in South Korea, people in North Korea have watched it already," Kim said.
"My younger sibling, my friends, my neighbors back in North Korea could see me through the drama," she added.
She highlighted how "there is nothing more rewarding" than thinking about how her family would react at seeing her face in some scenes in the drama, no matter how brief they were.
"Since the Korean peninsula is separated, there is no way to communicate [with] one another. It's a one-year thing to have a phone call with the family in North Korea. The fact that I could show my face to my family members in North Korea through media is genuine happiness," Kim said.
The actress hopes that North Koreans can soon have the freedom to share their opinion and feedback through live chat regarding the shows they watch in South Korea.
"I would like to hear North Korean people's opinions. When dramas or movies are being broadcasted, it would be nice to hear their thoughts live," Kim said. "I wish that day could come one day."