Jiyeon of girl group T-ara and baseball star Hwang Jae-gyun are tying the knot next winter.

The pair confirmed the news through their Instagram accounts on Thursday evening with pictures of a handwritten letter and some photographs of the couple together.

“I found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Hwang said in the post. “When I was in a rough place last year, she was there for me to help me and get me back into place.

“The news may come as a surprise but I thought that if the news broke out after baseball season began, it might become a distraction to our team [KT] [...] so it would be better to announce it beforehand.”

“I met my boyfriend through acquaintances last year,” Jiyeon said in her post. “I feel respected and loved and I’ve learned what happiness is from my boyfriend [...] whom I’ve promised to marry.”

Jiyeon added that she is concerned fans will be shocked by the news and is also nervous to share the happy news with everyone.

The couple are reported to have dated for about six months. Hwang made an appearance on KBS’s variety show “Mr. House Husband” (2016-) last month, where he revealed that he had a girlfriend of four months.

Hwang is a professional baseball infielder for the KT Wiz. He made his KBO debut in 2007 with the Hyundai Unicorns. From 2008 to 2010 Hwang played for the Heroes franchise and then was traded to the Lotte Giants later in 2010, where he continued to play through 2016. In 2016, Hwang became a free agent and signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants. He joined the KT Wiz in 2018, three years after the club joined the KBO.

Jiyeon debuted in 2009 as a member of T-ara. The group has hit songs “Bo Peep Bo Peep” (2009), “Roly-Poly” (2011) and “Cry Cry” (2012). It recently released the EP “Re: T-ara” in November, 2021. Jiyeon has starred in various popular television shows including KBS’s “Master of Study” (2010) and KBS’s “Dream High 2” (2021).

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]