EJAE and Fiancé Sam Kim Appear Together Three Weeks Before Their Nov. 7 Wedding

EJAE, the singer-songwriter behind the KPop Demon Hunters hit "Golden," appeared with her fiancé, producer Sam Kim, on the 15th at the 99th birthday celebration of her grandfather, veteran actor Shin Young-kyun. The couple will marry on November 7, just over three weeks after the event.

The celebration, known in Korea as a baeksuyeon (marking the age of 99, written with the characters for "white" and "longevity"), took place at Stage28 in Godeok-dong, Gangdong District, Seoul. It was held alongside the 16th Beautiful Artist Awards, hosted by the Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation. Shin, who is 99, represented Korean cinema in the 1960s and 70s and founded the foundation, which has run the awards since 2011.

A family night, with a few introductions

EJAE is the daughter of Shin Hye-jin, vice chairwoman of Seyoung Enterprise, and arrived on Kim's arm in an all-black outfit with her hair in a neat ponytail. Kim carried her bag. She was seated with the help of her mother, who introduced the couple to actress Lee Young-ae and her husband Jung Ho-young at the same table. EJAE also chatted with her grandfather and posed for photos with actor Lee Jung-jae, a foundation director.

The host, Lee Se-eun, had EJAE stand early in the ceremony to greet the guests and welcomed her as a "global star."

Around 100 figures from Korean culture attended. They included directors Park Chan-wook, Im Kwon-taek and Bae Chang-ho, actor Song Kang-ho, singers Nam Jin and Insooni, former baseball player Park Chan-ho, and Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young.

The awards

The winners were Park Geun-hyung (Performing Arts), Kim Moo-yul (Film and Drama), cinematographer Lee Seok-ki (Lifetime Contribution) and director Kim Do-young (Rookie). The Good People award went posthumously to the late Ahn Sung-ki, accepted by his second son, artist Ahn Phillip. The awards carry a combined prize of 100 million won (20 million won each).

The wedding and the road here

EJAE and Kim met in 2017 during a songwriting session and have worked together as writing partners since. The wedding is reportedly planned for a golf course in Los Angeles run by her mother.

EJAE has appeared with her grandfather before. In a January 2011 KBS 2TV appearance, then 19 and studying at New York University, she called him a "100-point stylish grandfather." She later trained at SM Entertainment before building a career as a songwriter and singer. In February, she won Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards for "Golden."