Harisu - WikiHQ

Lee Kyung-eun (; born February 17, 1975), better known by her stage name Harisu (), is a South Korean pop singer, model, and actress. In 2002, she became the second person in Korea to legally change their gender. Her stage name is an adaptation of the English phrase "hot issue".

She first gained public attention in 2001, after appearing in a television commercial for DoDo cosmetics. The commercial was a success and marked the launch of her career, which allowed her to branch out into other fields such as music and acting. She has recorded five Korean musical albums, switching genres between techno and R&B, and her overseas releases have featured songs recorded in Mandarin. Her first major acting role was in the 2001 film Yellow Hair 2, and since then her credits have included Hi! Honey, a Taiwanese drama series, and Colour Blossoms, an erotic drama by Hong Kong filmmaker Yonfan. On May 19, 2007, Harisu married Micky Jung, but the couple divorced in 2017.

Early life and transition

Harisu was born in Seongnam, Korea, and is one of five children. Although assigned male at birth, she knew she was female from an early age, This did not go unnoticed by her family or school friends, who often remarked that she looked and acted like a girl. A failed relationship with a boy during her teenage years convinced Harisu of the need to change her sex, she was already undergoing hormone replacement therapy. It was for this reason that she was exempted from the military service usually required of males in the Republic of Korea, being rejected on the grounds of "mental illness". By the end of the 1990s, Harisu had undergone several surgeries in Korea and Japan, including breast augmentation, sex reassignment surgery, rhinoplasty, and surgery to increase the size of her hips.

Career

Debut

thumb|right|Harisu first gained public attention when she appeared in this TV commercial for DoDo cosmetics. The appearance of an [[Adam's apple was added digitally.]]

Harisu made her acting debut in 1991—prior to her transition—as a supporting actor in a high school TV drama series, In June 2001, Harisu was the subject of a television documentary produced by KBS, which covered her childhood, family relationships, and debut as an entertainer. In February she released her third album, Foxy Lady, which marked a change from the sound of her previous albums towards a more hip-hop/R&B style, Towards the end of the year Harisu appeared in Yonfan's Colour Blossoms, an erotic drama film from Hong Kong in which she shared a role with veteran Japanese actress Keiko Matsuzaka. Released on October 18, 2004, it was poorly received at the box office and by the media, though it had some success at film festivals, and picked up several awards and nominations.

Harisu made a return to Korean screens in early 2005, after being cast in the MBC miniseries Beating Heart, her first major role in a Korean drama. She starred in several episodes as a transgender woman, returning to her family after a lengthy absence in a bid to gain acceptance. Later that year her Foxy Lady album was released in Taiwan and China with the inclusion of songs re-recorded in Mandarin, and she was even promoted by her Taiwanese record label as the "Kylie Minogue of the East".

2006–present

After a prolonged absence from the Korean music scene, Harisu returned in January 2006 with her fourth, self-titled album. Although her comeback was originally scheduled for the summer of 2005, this had been prevented by other commitments overseas. The album was preceded by a digital single, "Winter Story", and marked a change in her image, with an emphasis on being "cute" rather than "sexy". Harisu charted at number 46 in Korea,

In early 2007, Harisu was cast as the lead actress in Police Line, a Korean drama series produced for cable network On-Media. The series, based around a special unit for victims of sexual abuse, starred Harisu as a policewoman who was molested as a child by her stepfather. Filming for Police Line began in April 2007, and the series was launched in June with Harisu's husband Micky Jung making a cameo appearance. In December 2007, Harisu released a digital mini-album, Winter Special, which featured a duet with her husband on the track "First Snow".

Harisu published a collection of essays in Japan in March 2008, titled Haris Beauty (sic). The essays formed a comprehensive guide to beauty, diet and fashion, and contained photographs of Harisu taken by Yamagishi Shin, who had traveled to Seoul the previous December for a four-day photo shoot. Harisu also provided narration for the visually impaired for the 2008 film If You Were Me: Anima Version 2, an animated film about human rights.

As of 2008, Harisu believed that she still faced discrimination within the entertainment industry, saying on television, "Many people pretend to smile and welcome me, but after the filming, they'd scold me behind my back". and has said in interviews that she hopes to be a role model for other trans people. Affected by the 2008 suicides of gay actor Kim Ji-hoo and transgender television personality Jang Chae-won, Harisu opened a transgender club "Mix-Trans" in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, in June 2009.

Legal recognition of gender

On November 29, 2002, Harisu filed a petition with the Incheon District Court to have her sex corrected on her family register, and that her birth name be changed to Lee Kyung-eun. The subsequent court ruling went in her favour, and on December 13, 2002, she became the second person in the Republic of Korea to legally change their sex. Speaking of the difficulties she had previously encountered, Harisu has said: "My most embarrassing moments were when I have had to show my personal identification card in public... I couldn't get a passport, visa or even my own bank accounts because I was legally a man".

Marriage

Since her debut in 2001, Harisu has consistently expressed a desire to marry and have a family of her own. Jung, who had been a member of dance group EQ during the 1990s, later joined Harisu's management company and worked on her fourth and fifth albums. The couple briefly separated in 2006, but were reunited after Jung saw her dating another man on a TV show. Rumours that the two were to marry began circulating in November 2006,

On May 19, 2007, Harisu and Jung were married at Central City Millennium Hall in the Seocho District of Seoul. The ceremony was presided over by KBS anchor Shin Young-il, and officiated by Kim Seok-Kwun, a Dong-A University professor who had performed Harisu's sex change surgery in the 1990s. The couple honeymooned on the Thai island of Ko Samui, and began their married life at Harisu's family home in Nonhyun-dong, in the Gangnam District of Seoul. The couple have said that they plan to adopt four children,

Welfare and politics

In November 2007, Harisu unveiled plans to build and run an orphanage, stating that it was one of her "long-cherished dreams". With the support of her husband and mother-in-law, she purchased a plot of land in Janghowon, Gyeonggi Province, and studied for a community service license. Harisu campaigned for the New Progressive Party in the 2008 Republic of Korea legislative elections, supporting the legalization of marijuana.

Discography

As of 2007, Harisu has released five Korean language studio albums, though her song lyrics typically include English as well. While her early work has been described as "techno-flavored K-pop", her more recent albums have leaned towards the R&B, hip-hop, and disco genres. She has named Madonna and Janet Jackson as her musical influences; of her contemporaries, she holds Chae Rina in high esteem.

| style="text-align:center;"| 32

| style="text-align:center;"| 25,474<br /><small>(as of October 2001)</small>

| Also released in Taiwan.

|- style="height:44px"

| style="text-align:center;"| Liar

| style="text-align:center;"| October 28, 2002

| style="text-align:center;"| 15,760

| style="text-align:center;"| 1,596

|Live concert, released on VHS and VCD.

|- style="height:44px"

| style="text-align:center;"| Dance Fever #01

| style="text-align:center;"| June 12, 2003

| align="center"| "Temptation"

|align=center|2002

|Mnet Asian Music Awards

| Best Dance Performance

|align=center|"Liar"

Notes

a. Although the cited source states that Harisu has an older brother, other sources refer to her as being an "only child".
b. The exact dates that Harisu underwent surgery are unclear. Some sources state that she had sex change surgery in 1995, while others give the year as 1998 (or when she was 23 years old).
c. Harisu is sometimes written as Ha Ri-su, Ha Ri-soo, or Ha Risu.
d. The actual title for this song is in Korean. Alternative translations include "When it Snows" and "Falling Snow".
e. In a more recent interview, Harisu seems to contradict herself by saying that "There wasn't any reaction at all" from her family.