Actress Lee Young-ae gave an impromptu press conference yesterday at Hanyang University in Seoul, her first public appearance since her marriage.
Trapped in a circle of traveling reporters, Lee addressed the crowd as she arrived to attend class for her doctorate in theater and film arts.
"I apologize for taking all of you around in a wild goose chase. I hope you all understand," she said. "I'm grateful to all of my fans for their support and I'm sorry to the university students for distracting them from their studies."
The scene of the 38-year-old Daejangeum and Hallyu star's first public appearance quickly moved to the university lecture and performance stage, where she will begin her studies.
"I had a desire to go back and start from the beginning," she said.
"My studies here are just another platform for me to expand my horizons as an actress and I promise I will be back."
Lee's new husband is a Korean-American internet telecommunications entrepreneur who is a decade her senior. Many have speculated that he acted as her sponsor during her early years in Korean entertainment.
"He is someone with whom I share feelings that are deeper than love," she said.
"He is a good person and someone who I can lean on -- who I can trust," she said. "I will do all that I can to be faithful to my family and I will come back even more mature as an actress than before."
About plans for a baby, she bluntly stated, "I'm getting old so if I have one, I'll have one."
