Eli, 29, former member of K-pop boy band U-KISS, and his wife, Ji Yeon-soo, 40, have called it quits after six years of marriage.
In an Instagram post, Eli made the announcement that he and his wife, who is a racing model, have gone separate ways and that their son is under the care of Ji Yeon-soo.
“Hey everyone. 2020 has been a rough year for all of us. I have some news I would like to share with all of you… My wife and I have decided to separate,” he wrote.
He added, “I am currently in the US and Michael is living with his mom in Korea. Though I am unable to see Michael at the moment I will go to see him whenever I can and try my hardest to be the father figure that he needs.”
“I don’t know what the future has in store but I pray that Michael and his mom will be happy. We are truly grateful for all of your support over the years and I apologize that things ended this way,” he said.
On Dec. 5, 2014, Eli surprised fans when he revealed on Instagram that he and Ji Yeon-soo were married and that she was pregnant.
“Hey everyone I know you all probably knew I had a girlfriend by the ring on my finger. We've been together for about 5 years now and love each other very much~ We actually filed for our wedding license June 5 2014 and are currently happily married with a baby on the way,” he posted.
Eli added that “my wife is 3 months pregnant and by summer of next year I'm going to be a father. We still haven't had our ceremony yet but we will try to have it very soon.” Their son was born in June 2016 and the two held a wedding ceremony in June 2017.
He debuted in U-KISS in 2008 and left the group in May 2019, writing on Instagram, “Thank you all for all of your support the past 11 years.”
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Eli and Ji Yeon-soo in their wedding photo released in 2017 (Photo courtesy of One Fine Day/Happy Married Company)