Kwon Sang-woo and Son Tae-young Adopt Rescue Dog That Nearly Didn't Make It

Actor Kwon Sang-woo and his wife Son Tae-young have officially welcomed a rescue dog named Chopa into their family, three months after taking her in as a foster. The decision came in no small part because their younger child simply refused to let Chopa go.

Son Tae-young documented the adoption on her YouTube channel Mrs. New Jersey Son Tae-young, posting a video on the 2nd titled The Story of Chopa: Why Son Tae-young and Kwon Sang-woo Adopted a Rescue Dog. The footage shows Son personally flying to New York's JFK Airport in April to pick Chopa up, a gesture she noted was reserved for very special guests. "I had to go receive her myself," she said with a laugh. "I don't even go to the airport to pick up my husband when he comes to the States."

Chopa's backstory makes the adoption feel particularly meaningful. The dog was rescued in January, just before she was scheduled to be euthanized, and had been waiting for a permanent home when Son Tae-young first heard about her. What began as a temporary foster arrangement quickly became something more.

Within days of arriving, Chopa had settled into the household as if she had always lived there, getting along with Kwon, the couple's two children, and even their resident cat, Bella. "She adapted the moment she walked in, like she'd always been our dog," Son said during the adoption interview. "She's so gentle and follows instructions well."

Kwon Sang-woo added that Chopa is still warming up on her own terms. "She hasn't fully accepted human touch yet, but she's getting closer little by little," he said.

The tipping point, Son revealed, was her younger child's reaction when they considered giving Chopa up after the foster period. "My younger one assumed from the start that we were keeping her. And even my older one, who had grown attached, was asking where she was going. They were in tears begging us not to send her away." That settled it.

Kwon, for his part, came around to the idea enthusiastically enough that Son credited him directly. "My husband was so positive about it that the decision felt easy," she said.

After the interview wrapped, Kwon reflected on how quickly the household had expanded. "I never imagined we'd end up with both a cat and a dog," he said, laughing. "We just naturally became a big family." He then joked about the family's internal pecking order, suggesting that Bella and Chopa receive considerably more affection from Son than he does, and that he'd appreciate being treated to the same level of gentleness.

Kwon Sang-woo and Son Tae-young married in 2008 and have a son and a daughter together. With Chopa now officially part of the family, that household count stands at six.