Harisu

Harisu (Hangul: 하리수; Chinese: 河莉秀) is the stage name of Lee Kyung-eun (born Lee Kyung-yup, February 17, 1975), a transsexual pop singer, model and actress from South Korea. Born biologically male, Harisu identified as female from early childhood, and underwent sex reassignment surgery in the 1990s. She is noted for being South 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 made her acting debut in 1991—while still a boy—as a supporting actor in a high school TV drama series,and this was followed by other minor film and TV roles as an extra during the 1990s.

Harisu first gained public attention in 2001, after appearing in a television commercial for DoDo cosmetics. The commercial was a big success and ended up launching her career, allowing her to branch out into other fields such as music and acting. So far 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 boyfriend Micky Jung, whom she had been dating for two years previously.