[Sportschosun | Reporter Lee Ji-hyun] Ko Ji-yong, a former member of Sechs Kies, has spoken in detail for the first time about how severely his health deteriorated after his divorce from Yang-Im Hur, amid their legal dispute. Ko Ji-yong, who had previously sparked speculation about health problems after appearing noticeably gaunt, denied the rumors at the time. It was later reported that he had actually been hospitalized for impaired liver function and received treatment.
Ko Ji-yong’s agency, Mountain Movement Story, announced on the 16th that he had filed for a provisional injunction against his former wife, family medicine specialist Yang-Im Hur, seeking to prohibit interference with his visitation rights and the posting of photos and videos of their child.
What particularly drew attention during the process was Ko Ji-yong’s health immediately after the divorce, as he described it.
According to Ko Ji-yong, he was taken to a hospital on May 9, 2024—just over two weeks after he and Yang-Im Hur reached a divorce settlement on April 24—for cirrhosis, liver fibrosis, and shock. He said, “I had to prepare for the possibility of death,” adding that his illness had continued to worsen during the marriage and that he had been hospitalized several times and treated over the following two years.
Concerns about Ko Ji-yong’s health had continued since 2023. When he appeared on YouTube content that year, his face and body looked noticeably thinner than before, prompting speculation about health problems. It was later revealed that his weight had fallen to 63 kg despite his height of 180 cm.
When the rumors first emerged, however, Ko Ji-yong personally explained that he did not have any serious health problems. As people around him continued to express concern, he also revealed that he had even developed an obsession with thinking, “I need to eat.”
However, after appearing on KBS 2TV’s Mr. House Husband Season 2 in May 2025, he acknowledged that his actual health had been poor.
At the time, Ko Ji-yong said, “My body was in very bad shape then,” explaining that his liver function had declined overall and that his weight had dropped to 63 kg. He added that he had been hospitalized after his liver enzyme levels rose sharply and that, following medical advice, he had abstained from alcohol for about six months.
Ko Ji-yong said at the time that he had “improved a lot” and was recovering. Through his latest statement, however, he provided specific details showing that there had been a period when his health had deteriorated far more seriously than previously known. His side said he had been taken to the hospital after experiencing shock symptoms immediately after the divorce settlement and had been hospitalized several more times afterward.
Some reports, citing an unnamed source, said Ko Ji-yong’s condition had been serious enough to bring him “close to liver cancer.” However, that wording was not directly confirmed in an official statement by Ko Ji-yong or his agency.
His conflict with Yang-Im Hur also appears to have deepened while he was recovering. Ko Ji-yong’s side claims that he saw their son only about six times over the roughly two years following their divorce settlement in April 2024. On the 16th, Ko Ji-yong ultimately began legal action by filing for a provisional injunction against Yang-Im Hur to prohibit interference with his visitation rights and the posting of photos and videos of their child.
Ko Ji-yong explained the background to the legal action, saying, “I could no longer tolerate someone refusing to communicate with a person who is working to recover physically and return to society, while proceeding with a lawsuit.”
However, the claims concerning visitation, child support, and the use of photos and videos of the child are currently based on statements from Ko Ji-yong’s side. No specific response from Yang-Im Hur or court ruling has yet been confirmed.
Ko Ji-yong and Yang-Im Hur married in 2013 and had a son the following year. They reached a divorce settlement in April 2024, but news of the divorce did not emerge until July of the following year, about two years later.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
