Life is a bit of a whirlwind, right? One day you’re watching Lee Si-young effortlessly scale mountains or punch through a scene in Sweet Home, and the next, your social media feed is blowing up with news about her personal life. It’s hard to keep up. Most people know her as the powerhouse actress and former amateur boxer who basically lives at the gym, but the curiosity around her marriage—and the man she was with for eight years—has never really cooled down.
Honestly, the story of Lee Si-young and her husband, Cho Seong-hyun, is one of those classic "power couple" narratives that took a sharp, unexpected turn. You’ve probably seen the headlines about their divorce and the wild IVF news that followed. It’s a lot to unpack. Let’s get into who he actually is and what’s been going on lately, because it’s way more complicated than just a simple breakup.
Who is Cho Seong-hyun?
When Lee Si-young married Cho Seong-hyun back in September 2017, the Korean media was all over it. He isn't some obscure figure; he’s actually a heavy hitter in the South Korean food and beverage industry. Think of him as the "Little Paik Jong-won." That’s the nickname he earned because of how quickly he grew his restaurant empire.
Cho is nine years older than Lee, and by the time they met, he was already the CEO of a major company. He’s the brains behind some seriously popular spots you might recognize if you’ve spent time in Seoul. He started with a franchise called Palja Makchang and eventually moved into high-end dining with Yeongcheon Yeonghwa, a beef restaurant that’s basically a landmark for celebrities. He even opened a salad shop specifically for Lee Si-young, which is the kind of romantic-slash-business move you only see in dramas.
He didn't just stop at food. He’s been involved in golf wear and other lifestyle brands, cementing his status as a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. For years, they looked like the perfect match: the elite athlete-actress and the genius businessman.
The Shocking Split of 2025
For a long time, everything seemed great. They had their son, Jung-yoon, in January 2018, and Lee would often share snippets of their life on variety shows like The Manager (Point of Omniscient Interfere). You'd see them in their beautiful home, and it felt like they were the gold standard for celebrity marriages.
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Then came March 2025.
Out of nowhere, her agency, Ace Factory, dropped the bomb that they were getting a divorce. They called it a "mutual agreement," which is usually PR-speak for "we don't want to talk about the details." It felt sudden because just days before, she was posting photos from a business trip to Paris looking perfectly fine.
But here’s where things get really intense. A few months after the divorce was finalized, Lee Si-young announced she was pregnant again.
The IVF Controversy
This is the part that had everyone’s jaws on the floor. In July 2025, Lee revealed she was expecting her second child via in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The kicker? She used a frozen embryo created with Cho Seong-hyun’s sperm while they were still married—but she didn't get his consent to go through with the procedure after they split.
Basically, she decided she wanted another child and felt she could handle the responsibility on her own. Cho eventually spoke out through Dispatch, saying he was initially shocked and against the idea since they were no longer together. However, he also stated he would "fulfill his duty as a father" now that the child was coming.
Legal experts in Korea actually weighed in on this, noting that while the Bioethics and Safety Act requires consent to create an embryo, the law is a bit fuzzy on whether you need re-consent to implant it. It’s a messy, fascinating legal loophole that turned her personal life into a national debate.
Life After the Husband
Lee Si-young welcomed her second child, a daughter nicknamed "Ssik Ssik-ie," in November 2025. She’s been very open about the fact that she’s raising her kids as a single mom, though Cho remains legally tied to them.
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It’s a weird situation, right? You have this high-profile businessman ex-husband who is now a father to a newborn he didn't technically sign off on, and a superstar actress who is clearly marching to the beat of her own drum.
- Business as usual: Cho continues to run his F&B empire, which remains incredibly lucrative.
- The Kids: Jung-yoon is now seven, and the new baby is the center of Lee's social media world.
- Public Opinion: While some people criticized the non-consensual IVF, many fans have rallied around her, calling her a "warrior mom."
Moving Forward
If you’re looking for a takeaway from all this, it’s that the "perfect" image we see of celebrities and their wealthy husbands is usually just a tiny slice of the pie. Lee Si-young has always been a bit of a rebel—from becoming a pro boxer in her 30s to her unconventional path to motherhood.
If you want to keep up with how this unfolds, your best bet is following her official Instagram (@leesiyoung38). She’s surprisingly transparent there, often posting more than her agency does. Just don’t expect a family reunion photo anytime soon. The chapter with her husband as a partner is closed, but the drama of their co-parenting (or lack thereof) is likely just beginning.
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Focus on her upcoming projects instead of the tabloid fodder; she’s still one of the hardest-working actresses in the industry. Keeping an eye on the Korean legal updates regarding the Bioethics Act might also be interesting, as her case is literally changing the conversation about reproductive rights in South Korea.