Fans worried about gaslighting after Koyote's Shinji reveals fiance was married, has a daughter

Shinji shared a video on her YouTube channel on Wednesday showing her dining with MoonOne, her fiance, and fellow Koyote members Kim Jong-min and Bbaekga, revealing that her soon-to-be-husband was married and has a daughter.

Shinji of veteran coed K-pop group Koyote, right, and her fiance MoonOne in a promotional photo for a duet song [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The fiance of veteran coed K-pop group Koyote Shinji revealed that this is not his first marriage and that he has a daughter.

Shinji shared a video on her YouTube channel on Wednesday showing her dining with MoonOne, her fiance, and fellow Koyote members Kim Jong-min and Bbaekga.

“This may come as a surprise, but I was previously married once,” MoonOne said in the video. “And I have a lovely daughter. My ex-wife is raising our daughter, but I try to stay in touch and be involved for the sake of the child.”

“Shinji didn’t know this at first, but as our relationship grew deeper, I felt I had to be honest,” MoonOne continued. “When Shinji told me, ‘Because I love you, I can accept it,’ it gave me incredible strength.”

“Not many people know much about MoonOne yet, but he will gradually become better known,” said Shinji. “We thought it was right to disclose this ourselves rather than have it come out through someone else. We also didn’t want Jong-min or Bbaekga to find out from a third party, which might hurt them.

“We understand that some people might view this with concern,” she continued. “But to me, his sense of responsibility seemed admirable. It wasn’t a case of shirking his duties — he is trying to care for and protect his child. I thought, ‘He could show that same sense of responsibility toward me too.’”

“What matters is taking responsibility,” said Kim in the video. “Since everyone knows now, I hope no one makes an issue of it.”

Singer MoonOne, Shinji of Koyote's fiance, reveals that he was married before and has a daughter in a video uploaded on Shinji's YouTube channel on July 2. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“If you love each other, I don’t think it’s something to worry about,” said Bbaekga. “What matters is the meaning behind their relationship now.”

Shinji and MoonOne are set to get married in the first half of next year. The two met through the radio program “Singlbungl Show,” where Shinji serves as a DJ.

Following the release of the video and the revelation about MoonOne’s previous marriage, the response from Koyote fans and the general public has been divided. Many commenters on the YouTube video and Shinji’s Instagram account voiced concerns that MoonOne had kept the fact that he had been married until after his relationship with Shinji had gotten serious.

The fact that MoonOne claimed to be unaware of Koyote’s success and fame as a veteran K-pop group despite being a singer himself also raised red flags among viewers and fans, with some netizens commenting that he was “trying to gaslight Shinji” and “undervaluing her career.”

Koyote, having debuted in 1998, is one of Korea's longest-running mixed-gender trio music groups. They are known for "Pure Love" (1998), "Sad Dream" (2002), "Sadness" (2003), "Jump, Jump, Jump" (2010) and more.

MoonOne, whose real name is Park Sang-moon, debuted in 2012 as a solo artist and has since been active as a member of the group ZentleZ. He has released songs such as "Because I Luv U" (2013), "For You" (2013) and "Looking Only At You" (2023).

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY JANG GU-SEUL [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]