Winter Sonata actress Choi Ji-woo gives birth to a baby girl at 44

Mother and child are both fine. PHOTO: STAR JIWOO

South Korean actress Choi Ji-woo has given birth to her first child on Saturday (May 16), according to her agency YG Entertainment.

YG Entertainment said in a statement that the actress, who turns 45 in June, gave birth to her daughter at a hospital in Seoul. Mother and child are both fine.

The statement did not mention details like the baby's name and weight.

Earlier this month, Choi, who shot to fame after starring in the romantic TV serial Winter Sonata (2002) with Bae Yong-joon, had posted on her fan club website a handwritten letter and recent photo of herself with a baby bump.

She wrote that she has found a greater respect for all mothers since her pregnancy, especially as she got pregnant at an older age and during the coronavirus pandemic. She also hopes to be a role model for women who become mothers later in life.

Known for her roles in many TV series, including Stairway To Heaven (2003) and Temptation (2014), Choi surprised her fans in March 2018 when she announced her marriage to her boyfriend, who is nine years younger than her and the owner of an information technology firm.

Her agency did not say when Choi would return to acting. Earlier this year, the actress made a cameo, playing herself meeting a North Korean fan in the popular series Crash Landing On You.

Choi is not the only South Korean actress to have a child after turning 40. Jewel In The Palace (2003) actress Lee Young-ae gave birth to a pair of twins at 40 in 2011, while actress Ham So-won had a girl at 42 in 2018.

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