Sechs Kies' Go Ji-yong Reveals He Divorced 2 Years Ago: 'I Wanted to Protect My Son'

Go Ji-yong shared something quietly significant on his Instagram on July 29: he and his wife, family medicine specialist Heo Yang-im, divorced two years ago, and he had told no one publicly until now.

"The reason I didn't make this public was because I wanted to protect our son Seung-jae so he could fully process the situation and grow up in a stable environment," he wrote. The post, addressed directly to fans, explained that the split was a mutual decision made out of respect for each other's paths, not the result of any single dramatic event. "Although we've parted as a couple, we are cheering each other on and doing well."

For fans who watched Go Ji-yong on KBS 2TV's Superman Returns from 2016 to around 2018, where he appeared regularly with Seung-jae and showed a warm, hands-on approach to fatherhood, the announcement carries a particular weight. The show gave Korean audiences a close look at his domestic life, which made the silence around the divorce all the more considered. According to a source close to the situation, Heo Yang-im has primary custody; Go Ji-yong lives separately from his son but sees him often.

His agency, Mount Movement Story, backed the statement fully while making clear the public reveal was a difficult one. "We feel for Go Ji-yong having to disclose such a deeply personal matter," the agency said in an official statement. "But we want to reconfirm that the only reason for the timing was to protect the child, and there is no other cause." The agency added that any rumors or speculation about the family going forward would be met with legal action.

Go Ji-yong debuted in April 1997 with Sechs Kies, whose first album School Byulcok launched them alongside H.O.T. as one of the defining acts of late-1990s K-pop. The group was enormous with teenage audiences through the late '90s before disbanding in 2000. Unlike his former groupmates, Go Ji-yong sat out Sechs Kies' 2016 reunion and had long since moved into business. He married Heo Yang-im in a private ceremony in 2013, and their son was born the following year.

He had been easing back into public life in recent years, appearing on variety programs including MBC's Infinite Challenge, Study Money, tvN's Shin-Park Jeongri, and SBS's Same Bed Different Dreams 2, and recently signed an exclusive contract with Mount Movement Story. He also communicates with fans regularly through TikTok.

In closing the post, he asked for understanding rather than questions. "Please refrain from personal inquiries, and I would be grateful if you could continue to watch over us with a warm perspective."

Seung-jae, Go Ji-yong wrote, already understands the new shape of his parents' relationship and is doing well. For a man who built part of his second act in the public eye around being a present and devoted father, that detail seemed to matter most.