Song Joong Ki and Katy Louise Saunders are now proud parents to a boy and girl, but how did their love story begin? We took a look back at how the Hallyu star and British actress might have met (they've been low-key about it!), and listed all the key moments in their relationship so far.
Song Joong Ki and Katy Louise Saunders' Relationship Timeline
1. Song Joong Ki penned a sweet note to his fans in November 2020, talking about filming for Vincenzo.
The actor's then-agency History D&C uploaded his letter addressing Ki Aile (his fans): "I'm currently filming the drama Vincenzo." FYI, History D&C later on merged with ZIUM CONTENT to create Joong Ki's current representation, HighZium Studio.
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Reportedly it's thanks to a mutual friend that the couple first met each other in Italy, after Joong Ki finished filming Vincenzo. There were rumors circulating that Katy was his Italian teacher for the hit 2021 K-drama, but Korean media outlet Dispatch stated that this was not true.
2. Song Joong Ki mentions Katy's name in an awards speech on September 29, 2022.
The actor won the daesang (grand prize) at the APAN Star Awards for his role in Vincenzo, and after dedicating his win to friends, family, and the drama team, he ended the speech with, "...And my beloved Katy, Nalla, Maya, Antes, even these precious friends. I really love you all so much."
Nalla is Joong Ki's dog, but fans were left guessing who Katy, Maya, and Antes were. It turns out that Maya and Antes are Katy's dogs!
3. A netizen takes a photo with Song Joong Ki at a wedding on December 6, 2022.
Singaporean Chinese media Lianhe Zaobao reported the story of a netizen who met the Korean star in Bali, Indonesia. Photos also began circulating of Katy attending the wedding with Joong Ki, as they were seen seated beside each other.
4. The two were first spotted together in public on December 9, 2022.
After their supposed first meeting in Italy, Joong Ki and Katy soon developed feelings for each other and they reportedly went on trips together. According to news reports, Katy accompanied Joong Ki during his Reborn Rich overseas promotions.
In fact, his return home to Korea from Singapore on December 9, 2022, was the first time the couple were spotted together in public, leading people to speculate that they were an item.
4. Photos of them attending a wedding together were shared on social media on December 17, 2022.
Joong Ki and Katy (who was unidentified at the time) were spotted at the Lotte Hotel World in Seoul. They were reportedly attending the wedding of professional golfer Lim Sung Jae.
5. Song Joong Ki's agency verified the relationship on December 26, 2023.
HighZium Studio released a statement confirming that he was officially off the market on December 26, 2022. "Actor Song Joong Ki is currently seeing a woman with positive feelings. We hope that you will look warmly upon their relationship." The couple had supposedly been together for over a year at this point.
Katy is an actress with a British father and Colombian mother, and is an alumna of Bocconi University, a private school in Milan, Italy.
6. Song Joong Ki announced their upcoming wedding and Katy's pregnancy in January 2023.
A month after their relationship was made public, the Reborn Rich actor announced their upcoming nuptials in a statement via his fan cafe. As per Soompi, Joong Ki said Katy is the person "who has been by my side supporting me and who I have spent valuable time with while cherishing each other." He also confirmed that they were soon to be parents! "We naturally dreamed of creating a happy family together. We have put in much effort to keep each other’s promises, and we are sincerely thankful as a new life has come to us."
7. Song Joong Ki responds to rumors about Katy Louise Saunders.
Katy is an actress, and after announcing their engagement and impending parenthood she had been the subject of several rumors, which the Korean actor denied in a recent interview with GQ Korea. "At first, I was fine. It was an everyday occurrence for us, and even if many people know about it, our love wouldn't change. But then, when the nonsensical stories kept growing, I got angry honestly."
8. The couple were spotted on a date in Italy in April 2023.
After they tied the knot, the newlyweds were seen by fans strolling the streets of Rome, Italy in April 2023. Katy's baby bump was on full display, which got the Internet excited!
9. The couple became proud parents in June 2023.
On the evening of Wednesday, June 14, the Hallyu star shared good news via his fan cafe. Katy had given birth to a son, their "most precious gift," in her hometown of Rome, Italy.
According to Italian law, those born to non-citizen parents can acquire citizenship "if they were born in Italy, have had uninterrupted residence until turning 18, and have submitted a statement of intent within one year of their 18th birthday." Katy reportedly grew up in Italy but it's unknown if she has Italian citizenship. Meanwhile, according to British national law, you're automatically a British citizen if you were born outside the U.K. and all of the following apply: 1) you were born on or after July 1, 2006, 2) your mother or father was a British citizen when you were born, and 3) your British parent could pass on their citizenship to you.
Based on all of these requirements, aside from his Korean passport baby Song could possibly apply for Italian or British citizenship—although he'll have until his 18th birthday to choose. A Korean male must formally renounce his Korean citizenship at an Embassy or Consulate in the country of their birth by March 31st of the year he turns 18 years old.
10. Song Joong Ki announced his wife Katy Louise Saunders' second pregnancy.
On July 8, 2024—just months after they welcomed their first child in June 2023—the South Korean actor's agency disclosed the pregnancy news to the public. In a statement, HighZium Studio told South Korean news outlets, "Song Joong Ki and his wife are pregnant with their second child."
The statement to the media also included that the baby's gender is a private matter, and thus will not be discussed by the agency. "It is difficult to confirm the timing of birth or the gender of the child as these are private matters," HighZium expressed.
READ MORE: Song Joong Ki Announces Wife's Second Pregnancy
11. Song Joong Ki and Katy Louise Saunders welcome a baby girl!
Once again, the couple had a quiet pregnancy. After announcing the news, Joong Ki and Katy were careful enough to keep it as quiet as possible when it came to their family. But Joong Ki still makes it a point to update his fans in one way or another.
Case in point: today, November 21, 2024, the news of their baby girl's birth came from none other than Joong Ki himself. He shared the happy news on his official fan cafe. The actor divulged that their daughter was born in Rome and that both the baby and Katy are all doing well.
"I'm currently in Rome and it's just been over a year since I met my first child here. I'm incredibly grateful to announce that we've been blessed with another beautiful baby. Our lovely princess was born healthy, and both my wife and our baby are doing well and resting," Joong Ki wrote in his fan cafe.
Congratulations, Joong Ki and Katy!
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