T-ara member Jiyeon (Park Ji-yeon, 31) will make her first official public appearance since confirming her divorce from professional baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun (37).
Jiyeon is scheduled to attend a T-ara fan meeting in Macau on the 7th, along with other members. This marks her first public appearance since announcing her divorce from Hwang, sparking interest in whether she will address the topic during the event.
Last month, Jiyeon and Hwang submitted a divorce mediation request to the Seoul Family Court, beginning the legal process.
Choi Yoo-na, an attorney from the law firm Taesung, representing Jiyeon, said, “The couple could not overcome their differences, leading to a separation and an agreement to divorce. A request for divorce mediation has been filed with the Seoul Family Court. We earnestly ask that speculative comments be refrained from.”
Jiyeon also commented, “We have mutually agreed to proceed with the mediation process for our divorce. I ask for your understanding for not addressing this sooner. I will strive to greet you with a better image in the future.”
Hwang, who played in a playoff game on the day the divorce news broke, said after the game, “Jiyeon and I have decided to divorce after a period of deep consideration and separation due to differences in personality. We have already submitted a divorce mediation request to the Seoul Family Court and plan to complete the process amicably. Although our relationship as a married couple is ending, we will continue to support each other on our respective paths. I apologize to the fans for causing disappointment.”
The couple, who married in December 2022, faced continuous rumors of divorce since June. Speculation arose after broadcasters for KNN, a station in the Busan and Gyeongnam regions, suggested on a YouTube live stream that Hwang’s poor performance was due to the couple’s separation. Around the same time, Jiyeon paused her YouTube channel, which documented her newlywed life, citing “personal reasons,” while both parties remained silent on the rumors. After months of speculation, the filing of the divorce mediation request confirmed the end of their marriage after nearly two years.
In September, about three months after pausing her YouTube activities, Jiyeon resumed posting, deleting all videos related to Hwang. This included a video from May, where she created baby shoes, saying they were made with their future child in mind, which has since been removed.
SEE ALSO: T-ara's Jiyeon and Hwang Jae Gyun reach a settlement for divorce