Actor Lee Si-young is pregnant with her second child, she announced on social media on Tuesday.

Lee, who got divorced earlier this year, underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) while she was still married. The process of transferring the fertilized embryo, however, was not consented to by her former husband.


“A long time had passed without transferring the fertilized embryo, and naturally, we began discussing a divorce,” Lee said in her statement. “After we settled all legal ties, the five-year storage period for the embryo was reaching an end, and I had to make a decision, which was to receive it. Although my former husband did not consent, I intend to hold full responsibility for the decision I have made.”

She explained that there were many moments she felt “regretful about having any negative emotions” with her first child and that she did not want to “repeat the same mistakes” through her second child.

“Looking back, I realize that the most valuable thing in my life was always my child,” she continued. “I am simply thankful for the new life that has come to me, and I am spending the happiest and most peaceful time.”

A due date was not specified.

Lee married her former husband, a businessman, in 2017. The pair have a son. They settled for a divorce in March.

Lee debuted in 2008 and is best known for her roles in the KBS hit romance drama "Boys Over Flowers" (2009) and Netflix original horror series "Sweet Home" (2020). Lee also made a name for herself as a boxer. She has won several amateur boxing competitions and qualified for the Korean women’s national team in 2013 in the under 48-kilogram (105.8-pound) weight class.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]