Actress Han Chae Young is the mother of a new baby boy.
"Han Chae Young gave birth to a baby boy at around 1PM (KST) at a hospital in Seoul yesterday," said a representative from her agency, BH Entertainment.
The actress, who has been described as Korea's "living Barbie doll," required a caesarean section to deliver her son but both mother and child are doing well.
"Since it was a caesarean section, the time of recovery is likely to be longer," said the agency representative. "Both Han Chae Young and her baby are in good health."
When asked about her immediate plans the agency would only say that for now "she will focus all her attention on caring for the baby."
While she plans to stay in Korea long enough to rest up and spend some quality time with her new baby, she does plan to return to the U.S. and will continue to work as an actress wherever the best roles take her. The actress is a popular Hallyu star in China and regularly receives offers to star in Chinese dramas and films.
Han received prenatal care in America, where her husband and parents live, before returning to Korea to deliver her child. It has been six years since Han Chae Young married Choi Dong Joon, a Korean-American financial expert, who is four years older than her. This is the couple's first child.
She announced her pregnancy in March when she was still filming the KBS drama "Ad Genius Lee Tae Beck," then left for the U.S. to spend time with her family. According to BH Entertainment, she considered giving birth in the U.S. but then, without publicly stating her reasons, decided against it.
"After taking everything into consideration she decided she would do best in Korea."
Han was born in Daegu, South Korea, but her family moved to the U.S. when she was eight years old She grew up near Chicago and attended high school there. She was discovered on a return visit to Korea and it was in her debut in the Korean horror film, "The Record," that her shapely figure first earned her the Barbie doll nickname. She attracted attention for her role in the drama "Delightful Girl Choon Hyang." Shortly after she played Lee Byung Hun's love interest in the fantasy film "The Influence." For English-speaking roles, she has signed with Creative Artists Agency in Hollywood.
