Ham So-won and Jin Hua [Ham So-won's Instagram]
Ham So-won and Jin Hua [Ham So-won's Instagram]

Broadcaster Ham So-won, 50, is now four years into her divorce from Chinese businessman Jin Hua, 31 — yet the two continue to display a peculiar dynamic.

Ham posted on her social media Thursday, writing, "My ex-husband still manages to make me angry!"

She described a series of messages she received from Jin Hua: "My ex-husband contacted me to say he'd be hard to reach this week. I scoffed. Then he messaged again to say he was in Busan. I scoffed again. Then he messaged to say he was with a woman. I scoffed once more. Turns out he had gone to Busan to see actor Fan Bingbing."

Ham also shared screenshots of their messenger exchange, adding, "He still hasn't answered my question about whether she's prettier than me. Now Jin Hua is the one scoffing at me. Just wait until he gets back to Seoul!" The post drew widespread interpretation as a display of jealousy.

Online commenters, noting that the exchange reads like a playful lovers' quarrel to anyone unaware the two are divorced, reacted with remarks such as, "Are they really actually divorced?"

A messenger exchange between Ham So-won and Jin Hua [Ham So-won's Instagram]
A messenger exchange between Ham So-won and Jin Hua [Ham So-won's Instagram]

Ham and Jin Hua married in April 2018 and welcomed a daughter later that year. Their union drew considerable public attention for bridging different nationalities and an age gap of nearly 20 years.

After roughly four years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2022, citing personality differences, frequent conflicts and concerns about the stress their daughter might face.

Even after the divorce, however, the two continued to live under the same roof for their daughter's sake, before announcing a complete separation in October 2024.

From shortly after their wedding through 2021, the couple appeared on TV Chosun's "Anaeui Mat" (Wife's Taste), a program that documented their married life and drew large audiences. The show was eventually canceled after a series of fabrication controversies. The allegations included claims that a lavish villa in China presented on air as belonging to Jin Hua's parents was in fact an Airbnb rental; that a voice heard speaking with his mother-in-law was actually Ham using a stand-in; and that a clothing factory introduced as Jin Hua's was in reality owned by his brother-in-law.

After the divorce, Jin Hua posted a photo of himself with a bloodied face in 2024, claiming Ham had struck him. When the post sparked a domestic violence controversy, he reversed course, writing, "I wrote something that caused a misunderstanding. Ham So-won is not a bad person — please do not misunderstand her."


paq@heraldcorp.com