Former Wonder Girls member Woo Hye-rim announced her second pregnancy on her YouTube channel “Lim's Diary” on Tuesday.

Woo surprised her fans by announcing that she is 12 weeks into her pregnancy and asked her fans to guess the gender of her second child. Woo and her husband, extreme taekwondo practitioner Shin Min-cheol, affectionately nicknamed the baby on the way "Thank Kong." Woo said her two-year-old son, Shin Si-woo, who pronounces "thank you" as "thank kong," inspired the nickname of his younger sibling.


In her announcement video, Woo shared several details about her pregnancy journey, including experiences with morning sickness, changes in dietary preferences and available government benefits for pregnant mothers.

After the Wonder Girls' disbandment, Woo has been busy finishing her Bachelor's Degree in English for International Conferences and Communication (EICC) at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. She has published an essay collection, “Just Keep Swimming” (2020), and also translated a number of books, including Catherine Hapka's 2021 book “Winnie the Pooh: The Little Things in Life” earlier this year.

"A precious new life has come to Woo’s family," Woo's agency Wave Entertainment said in a press release on Tuesday. "She plans to continue her activities, and we ask for your blessings and support."

To find out more about Woo Hye-rim, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]