Harisu

Biography

Harisu (meaning “Hot Issue”) was born Lee Kyung Yeop in Seongnam, South Korea, and is one of five children. Harisu lived in Japan for several years, where she studied to become a hairstylist. It was while working as a nightclub singer that she was discovered by a talent agency, and soon after she began her modeling career. Her big break came in early 2001, when she appeared in a television commercial for DoDo cosmetics. She has recorded five Korean music albums so far, switching genres between techno and R&B, and her overseas releases have featured songs recorded in Mandarin. Her first major role was a performance in the 2001 film of “Yellow Hair 2 ” and since then her credits have included “Hi Honey “, a Taiwanese drama series, and “Color Blossoms “On May 19, 2007, Harisu married Micky Jung, who had been dating for two years.

Also in 2001, Harisu released her autobiography “Adam’s Eve,” and appeared in a music video for the dance group Turbo. In September, she entered the K-pop music scene with her debut album, “Temptation,” a mix of techno-style pop music and slow ballads, which reached the No. 32 spot on the (Korea Music Industry Association) MIAK. She released her second album, “Liar,” in October 2002, and described it as “a high-energy dance record with a very upbeat rhythm. “Liar became her biggest hit on the national charts, peaking at number 23 in its first month of release.

Harisu Facts

• She is noted for being South Korea’s first transgender artist.
• As South Korea’s first transgender artist, there was a great deal of media interest in Harisu, and she was routinely described as “more beautiful than a woman.”
• Explaining her reasons for “coming out of the closet,” she said, “I don’t want to face people dishonestly. i won’t be able to hide it after all. it’s better to make it clear from the beginning.”
• Harisu made the decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery putting a strain on her relationship with her family, and noted that when her parents first found out “they were very upset. They were not angry, but very sad. Her father, in particular, had great difficulty accepting her as a daughter, but her family has since accepted her and show great pride in her career.
• On November 29, 2002, Harisu filed a petition with the Incheon District Court to have her sex corrected in her family record book, so that her birth name could be changed from Lee Kyung Yeop to Lee Kyung Eun. On December 13, 2002, she became the second person in South Korea to legally change her sex.
• In October 2003, Harisu made the decision to leave her management company, TTM Entertainment. However, TTM claimed to have the rights to her stage name, and announced its intention to use that name to promote other artists. The matter was taken to court, and in early 2004, the ruling favored Harisu, allowing her to keep the name. she subsequently formed her own company, G&F Entertainment, in order to make her own decisions regarding her career.
• Harisu has been given credit for raising social awareness of transsexuality in South Korea, and has said in interviews that she hopes to be a role model for other transsexuals.
• Harisu made a comeback to Korean screens in early 2005, after being cast, in the MBC miniseries Beating Heart, her first lead role in a Korean drama.
• In 2005, Foxy Lady was released in Taiwan, China and Malaysia, with the addition of several re-recorded tracks in Mandarin. The album was released by EMI in Taiwan, where she was promoted as the “Kylie Minogue of the East”.
• In 2005, she began dating Micky Jung (real name Jung Yong Jin), a rapper she knew online. Jung, who had been a member of the dance group EQ during the 1990s, later joined Harisu’s management company and worked on her fourth and fifth albums. The couple briefly split in 2006, but reunited after Jung saw her dating another man on a television show. Rumors that the two were to marry began circulating in November 2006, and a date for the wedding was announced in February, following meetings between their respective families.
• On May 19, 2007, Harisu and Jung were married at Central City Millennium Hall in Seoul’s Seocho-gu district.
• Affected by the 2008 suicides of gay actor Kim Ji Hoo and transgender TV personality Jang Chae Won, Harisu opened a transgender club “Mix-Trans” in Apgujeong-dong, south of Seoul, in June 2009.
• Harisu speaks four languages (his native Korean, Japanese, English and Mandarin).
• I collaborate in the return of the singer Allen Ki Bum in the song “Longing”.
• On June 12, 2016, it was reported that the pop singer and her husband rapper Micky Jung have decided to part ways after 10 years of marriage.

Harisu Drama

• Saving Madame Go Bong Shil (CSTV, 2011)
• The Return of Iljimae (MBC, 2009)
• Beating Heart (MBC, 2005)
• Hi, Honey! (CTV, 2004)

Harisu Films

• Possessed (2006)
• Color Blossoms (2004)
• Emergency Act 19 (2002)
• Yellow Hair 2 (2001)

Harisu TV Programs

• Voice Trot (MBN, 2020)
• Love on the Air (KBS 2TV, 2020)
• Video Star (MBC Every1, 2020)