Singer and DJ Koo Jun-yup arrived in Taiwan from Japan with his late wife Barbie Hsu’s ashes on Wednesday, according to Taiwanese media outlets Thursday.

It was reported that Koo requested an umbrella to cover the pink urn holding his wife's remains before getting into a car so she wouldn't be "startled" by the swarm of local press at the airport.


Koo and Hsu’s family departed Japan on Wednesday and landed at Taipei Songshan Airport, Taiwan, at 3 p.m. the same day, according to Taiwanese media, including United Daily News and Liberty Times.

They arrived on a small chartered plane operated by VistaJet. The news reported that Koo, despite wearing a hat and a mask, appeared visibly sorrowful as he stepped off the plane.

Hsu’s remains will be enshrined at a memorial park in Sanzhi District in New Taipei City, northern Taiwan, according to reports.

Barbie Hsu’s sister, Dee Hsu, who is also active in the entertainment industry, confirmed their return in a statement via her manager on Wednesday, saying, “My sister has made it home safely. She is believed to be happy and worry-free now up in heaven.”

“We will not hold a farewell ceremony for her, as she has always preferred to keep a low profile,” she said. “We would like to thank everyone who has supported and loved my sister.”

Barbie Hsu died from pneumonia triggered by influenza at the age of 48 on Sunday while she was traveling in Japan with her family during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Koo and Barbie Hsu married in February 2022, more than 20 years after their previous romantic relationship had ended. The two dated for about a year in the late 1990s after Koo debuted in Taiwan in 1998. However, Koo ended their relationship as he felt "a lot of pressure from his agency about dating."

Hsu later married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei in 2011, and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 2021.

The two reunited after Koo reached out to Hsu upon hearing about her divorce.

Hsu debuted as a singer in 1994 as ASOS with her sister Dee Hsu. She later began her career as an actor and rose to fame in Asia through her role in the Taiwanese version of the drama series “Boys Over Flowers” in 2001, also known as "Meteor Garden." The actor appeared in other TV series, including “Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story” (2003).

Koo debuted in 1990 and gained fame as a member of the first-generation K-pop boy band Clon. The band released hit songs such as "Bing Bing Bing" (1997) and "Kung Ddari Sha Bah Rah" (1996).


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]