Superstar musician
Who is Barbie Hsu’s husband DJ Koo?
Koo and his late wife were kept apart for years before being able to marry
KOO Jun-Yup, AKA DJ Koo, is a South Korean musician who rocketed to fame in the 1990s.
He married Meteor Garden star Barbie Hsu in 2022, but she sadly passed away just three years later in 2025.
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Koo’s rise to fame
Koo was born in Seoul, South Korea, on September 11, 1969.
He grew up alongside his older sister Koo Eun-Yeong.
While at school, Koo came in fourth at a dance competition which led to him being signed by SM Entertainment.
He became a backing dancer for Lee Soo-man, before staring his mandatory military service.
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Koo then formed a band named Tak and Jun with singer Lee Tak in 1993 but the duo disbanded shortly after.
In 1996, he formed the dance music duo CLON alongside Kang Won-rae.
Their first album Are You Ready? sold 1.12 million copies in South Korea and kickstarted Koo’s incredible career.
In 1998, he was named Taiwan’s Sexiest Man and was awarded the title again a year later.
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Clon released several albums during the 1990s, with their fourth effort New World selling over a million copies.
However, in 2000, Koo’s bandmate Kang was paralysed in a tragic motorcycle accident.
Although Koo was encouraged to go solo, he took a break from music to care for his friend until Kang could sit in a wheelchair by himself.
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Becoming DJ Koo
Koo eventually did launch a solo career, becoming one of South Korea’s biggest stars.
However, he continued to work with Kang and even released a full-length album with him in 2005 entitled Victory.
The musician choreographed a wheelchair dance for Kang, which was nominated for Best Dance Performance at the 2005 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
In 2006, Koo performed at a club in Gangnam and declared that he would be known as DJ Koo in future.
He has since been part of a movement to popularise EDM in South Korea.
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A long engagement
In 1997, Koo met Taiwanese superstar Barbie Hsu but lost contact with her until they met again a year later.
Although they fell in love immediately, their relationship lasted only a year due to opposition from Koo’s management.
K-Pop is infamous for its “dating bans”, which force stars to forgo romantic relationships.
Years later, on March 8, 2022, Koo announced on Instagram that he had married Barbie.
He said: “To have such a destiny with the woman I fell in love with more than 20 years ago – this is a love we both want to cherish and continue.
“When I heard about her divorce, I searched for her number from 20 years ago and contacted her.
“Fortunately, her number was still the same, so we were able to reconnect.
“We have lost too much time together, so I suggested that we get married and she said yes.
“We will be living together after registering our marriage.
“Since I got married late, I really hope for your support and blessings.
“Thank you all.”
The pair married in Seoul and had wedding ring tattoos inked on their ring fingers.
Sadly, Barbie passed away on February 2, 2025, in Japan.
Her sister, Dee Hsu, who had been one half of a pop duo alongside her sister, confirmed Barbie’s death on Taiwan’s TVBS News.
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She said: "During the Lunar New Year, our family came to Japan for vacation.
"My dearest sister Barbie has unfortunately left us after getting pneumonia, triggered by influenza."
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