PETALING JAYA, Jan 13 — Chen from K-pop boyband EXO has revealed in a surprise announcement that he is currently engaged and expecting a child with his fiancée.

The 27-year-old broke the news on the band’s Lysn page through a handwritten letter addressed to EXO fans, known as EXO-Ls.

“I don’t know how to start and I am very nervous to break the news. But I wanted to be the first to tell my fans, who showed love and support for me.

“I have a girlfriend who I want to spend the rest of my life with.

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“At first, I was worried about the consequences of my decision. But I was discussing it with the label and the members on how to deliver this, so you won’t be surprised out of the blue,” Chen wrote, based on translations by K-pop news portal Allkpop.

The singer, whose real name is Kim Jong-dae, added that his fiancée’s pregnancy was a happy surprise that gave him the courage to come forth with the news.

He ended the letter with words of appreciation for his fellow EXO members and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to fans for their love and support.

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The band’s label SM Entertainment also congratulated the couple in a statement and said that the wedding will be held in private as the bride-to-be is a non-celebrity.

Malaysian EXO-Ls were elated with the announcement and the terms “Chen”, “Jongdae”, and “I’m so happy for him” quickly climbed to the top three spots on the list of Malaysian Twitter trends at around 3pm today.

Chen first debuted with EXO in 2012 and was active in both China and South Korea as part of the subgroup EXO-M.

He is also well-known for his work as a solo singer and his second EP Dear My Dear peaked at number one on Gaon’s South Korean albums chart in October 2019.