South Korean speed sating queen to marry Japanese singer

August 29, 2019

Seoul--Former South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa is set to marry Kangnam, a Japanese singer, her management agency said Thursday.

Lee, 30, will hold a wedding ceremony on Oct. 12 with the 32-year-old artist, whose real name is Yasuo Namekawa. The two went public about their relationship in March.

The former speed skating queen won gold at the women's 500-meter event at the 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. She lost out to Japan's Nao Kodaira in her attempt to secure her third consecutive win at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, but the two skating rivals' display of friendship won them praise from both Japan and South Korea.

Kangnam, whose father is Japanese and mother is South Korean, debuted as a member of a hip hop group in 2011. He is performing in both countries.

Kangnam recently revealed that he plans to obtain South Korean citizenship. Jiji Press