SEOUL • South Korean pop star Rain announced his engagement to top actress Kim Tae Hee in a handwritten letter to fans on Tuesday - but said their wedding would be low-key, given the country's economic and political woes.
"I am going to be a good husband and man as a head of a family," the 34-year-old said in the letter posted on his Instagram feed.
"She has always been by my side through the hard times and the good times," he said, referring to the 36-year-old actress, who has a massive following in Asia.
The couple met while shooting a television commercial in 2011 and began dating a year later.
Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji Hoon, is one of the biggest stars in the world of K-pop, which commands a huge following in South Korea, across much of Asia and beyond.
He has also starred in South Korean dramas, including Full House (2004) and The Fugitive: Plan B (2010), as well as Hollywood action pictures such as Speed Racer (2008) and Ninja Assassin (2009).
Kim has starred in dramas including Love Story In Harvard (2004), Iris (2009), My Princess (2011) and The Gang Doctor (2015).
"Regarding the time and the wedding ceremony, we plan to keep it as quiet and holy as possible during the current unstable national mood and economically difficult times," he said.
The couple are expected to wed at a Catholic church in Seoul tomorrow, with family members in attendance as Kim is a devout Catholic, Yonhap News Agency said, citing industry insiders.
Rain was confined to barracks for a week in January 2013 for sneaking out to meet Kim while completing his mandatory military service.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
