From Speedy Marriage to Long-Distance Parenting: Kim Jung-min and Rumiko’s Journey Revealed

Translation result

Singer Kim Jung-min and his wife Rumiko: From a fateful meeting to living apart for their children’s education

Singer Kim Jung-min and his Japanese wife Rumiko have drawn attention after candidly sharing the story of how a seemingly destined meeting evolved into a life spent apart to support their children’s futures.

The couple registered their marriage just 45 days after meeting, and they’ve been living apart for two years so their children can pursue educational and athletic opportunities.

Their fateful first meeting — she arrived with a shopping basket

Their relationship began in 2005 when singer Park Hye-kyung introduced them. Rumiko recalled, “I was grocery shopping when Park Hye-kyung called. I went over and, still holding my shopping basket, met Kim Jung-min for a blind date.”

Two days after that initial meeting, the pair took a trip together and unexpectedly spent the night. Kim called it “destiny,” while Rumiko quipped it was a “strategy,” prompting laughter.

Lightning-fast marriage and a public radio proposal

Everything moved quickly. Kim registered their marriage 45 days after they met and held their wedding 142 days later. He even proposed on air during a radio show — a moment that surprised listeners when Rumiko later admitted she didn’t understand the proposal at the time because her Korean was still limited.

Rumiko also revealed that her father initially opposed the marriage. “My father used to run an entertainment agency in Japan and held a poor view of celebrities,” she said. “He asked for my husband’s résumé, so I searched his profile and career online and filled it out for him myself.”

Living apart began when their sons moved to Japan for soccer

Now in their 20th year of marriage, Kim and Rumiko live separately between Korea and Japan. Their two sons moved to Japan to pursue soccer careers, and Rumiko relocated with them to Saga Prefecture.

“Our older and younger sons played well and received strong offers in Japan,” Rumiko said. “We initially planned to stay just six months, but circumstances changed, and before we knew it we became a couple living apart.”

“This isn’t the married life I imagined”

Kim, who remains in Seoul, spoke openly about the situation. “This isn’t the married life I envisioned,” he said. “I never imagined I’d become a gireogi dad (a father who stays behind while his family lives abroad for their children’s education). I thought that could never happen, but things didn’t go my way.”

“My wife and kids left for Japan almost as if they bolted,” he said. “It’s quiet and lonely here. I felt down after they left.” He added that by the fifth month he even feared he might be experiencing signs of depression.

He remained in Korea to care for his mother in her 90s

One reason Kim did not join his family in Japan was to care for his mother, who was in her 90s. He stayed by her side until she passed away last August.

Rumiko said she misses her husband, too. “When we lived in Korea, I handled everything so he didn’t have to lift a finger, so I find myself wondering how he’s managing alone in Seoul now,” she said.

Kim now lives alone and focuses on self-care, including fasted cardio, while keeping up with his sons’ matches in Japan via broadcasts. The couple’s candid experience of living apart is being documented on tvN STORY’s show “Gakjip Bubu,” translated as “Separated Couple.”