Actress Pregnant With Married Director’s Child: Latest on Kim Min Hee and Hong Sang-soo’s Relationship

South Korean cinema’s most controversial romance adds another dramatic chapter as acclaimed actress Kim Min-hee reportedly expects a child with internationally acclaimed filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, who remains legally married to another woman.

According to The Straits Times, entertainment outlet Dispatch revealed on Jan. 17 that Kim, 42, is approximately six months pregnant after discovering her condition in mid-2024. The award-winning star of The Handmaiden is anticipated to welcome her first child in early 2025, further complicating a relationship that has captivated and divided South Korean media since 2016.

The pair’s professional partnership and personal entanglement began during the production of Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), where Hong directed Kim in the female lead role. Their affair became public knowledge in 2016, generating significant controversy in South Korea, where adultery had been illegal until just one year prior. The filmmaker and actress ultimately confirmed their romantic involvement in 2017.

What makes this pregnancy announcement particularly noteworthy is Hong’s marital status. The 64-year-old director married his wife in 1985 after meeting her while studying in the United States, and the couple has an adult daughter. Despite filing for divorce in 2016 when news of his relationship with Kim emerged, Hong’s petition was rejected by the Seoul Family Court in 2019. According to The Korea Times, the court cited legal precedent stating: “Our legal precedent does not allow the party at fault to seek divorce.”

Since the scandal erupted, Kim’s career trajectory has shifted dramatically. Once celebrated for her performances in mainstream productions like Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, she has exclusively appeared in Hong’s independent films since 2016. Kim has starred in twelve of Hong’s works over this period, including critically acclaimed titles such as Hotel By The River (2018), The Woman Who Ran (2020), and In Our Day (2023).

The couple has maintained a relatively low public profile, though they were spotted together in August 2024 when Kim received the Best Performance Award at the Locarno International Film Festival for her role in Hong’s By The Stream (2024).

While Hong was previously known primarily within art-house cinema circles, the affair catapulted him into mainstream awareness in South Korea. Before the controversy, Hong had quietly built his reputation as South Korea’s leading auteur, respected for his distinctive minimalist style featuring long takes, natural dialogue, and themes exploring modern relationships.

What makes their saga particularly fascinating to cultural observers is how Hong’s films following the scandal have seemed to reflect elements of his personal situation. In On the Beach at Night Alone (2017), Kim portrays an actress recovering from an affair with a filmmaker, leading many to interpret the work as semi-autobiographical. During one emotionally charged scene, Kim’s character confronts her director lover, demanding to know: “Why make it about someone you loved? Trying to lessen your torment?” His character responds, “I need to cast off my regrets.”

Hong’s more recent works may have evolved beyond directly addressing the scandal, specifically in Hotel by the River, where Kim’s character becomes more of a witness than a participant in romantic entanglements. The Nation describes this evolution as “a new shift in Hong’s filmography,” indicating “the work of a filmmaker no longer bogged down by earthly concerns.”

While Hong’s films have never achieved substantial commercial success, they have garnered significant critical praise at prestigious international festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno. His distinctive approach to filmmaking, often compared to French New Wave director Éric Rohmer, has earned him recognition as one of contemporary cinema’s most distinctive voices.

Neither Kim nor Hong has publicly commented on the pregnancy reports at this time.