Topics: Dramaroma - The Best Romantic Korean Dramas
Lee Kyung-eun (born Lee Kyung-yeop , February 17, 1975), better known by her stage name Harisu ( Hangul : 하리수; Hanja : 河莉秀), is a Korean pop singer , model , and actress. Assigned male at birth, Harisu identified as female from early childhood, and underwent sex reassignment surgery in the 1990s. She is the Republic of Korea 's first transgender entertainer, and in 2002 became only the second person in Korea to legally change their gender. Her stage name is an adaptation of the English phrase "hot issue".
Harisu lived in Japan for several years, where she studied to be a hair stylist. [1] [7] It was while working as a nightclub singer that she was discovered by a talent agency , [7] [8] and soon after she began her career as a model. [1] [9] After returning to Korea in 2000, [1] she signed with management company TTM Entertainment, and first began using the stage name "Harisu", derived from the English phrase "hot issue". [9] [10] [c]
Harisu made her acting debut in 1991—while still living as a boy—as a supporting actor in a high school TV drama series, [11] and this was followed by other minor film and TV roles as an extra during the 1990s. [12]
