Divorce attorneys in Pasadena know how difficult it is to keep celebrity hookups and breakups out of the papers. So we’re as shocked as the citizens of South Korea, who were dumbstruck over the weekend when they found out two of the country’s biggest stars kept their marriage and divorce a secret for nearly 15 years.

South Korean journalists were sent into a frenzy last Thursday when a sports newspaper broke the news that E Ji-ah, a television actress, and pop star Seo Tae-ji had been married for almost a decade, divorced for nearly five years, and are currently entangled in a war for a high-priced financial settlement. E Ji-ah is seeking 5.5. billion won, or roughly $5 million in U.S. dollars. The secrecy, the big money and the divorce are the kinds of thing you’d see on a Korean soap opera.

Ms. E’s management agency went into damage control mode when the news broke. She quickly released a statement wherein she asked for the public’s forgiveness.

"Since I made a début, I have had no choice but to conceal my past, because the other side was a very famous person,” Ms. E said in the statement. “I feel really sorry about that (covering up). I wanted to work things out smoothly with him whom I dearly loved even though I was very young, but it didn’t turn out as I wanted. I am having a hard time for myself.”

The couple got married in 1997 after Seo Tae-ji went solo. The pair moved to the United States and divorced in 2006. Seo has long been a favorite of Korean pop music while E has largely remained secretive and a mystery to the press. Even basic information like her age has been concealed, although she is believed to be in her 30s meaning she may have married Seo as a teenager. She is currently linked to popular Korean actor Jung Woo-sung.