Choi Han-bit () is a South Korean model, actress and singer. She is a member of the South-Korean girl group Mercury. She is a graduate of the School of Dance at the

Korean National University of Arts Korea National University of Arts is a national university in Seoul, South Korea. Korea National University of Arts was established in 1993 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea as the only national university of arts with an ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, where she majored in

Korean traditional dance Dance in Korea began with shamanistic early rituals five thousand years ago and now ranges from folk dance to newly created and adopted contemporary dance. Overview Korean traditional dance originated in ancient shamanistic rituals thousands ...

. With the support of her parents, Choi underwent male-to-female sex reassignment surgery in 2006. She changed her given name to Han-bit, and is legally recognized as female in South Korea. In an interview, Choi said that "living with the female body itself brought me the greatest feeling of euphoria", but also that she has "a fond memory of the past before the operation". Prior to her surgery, she had appeared on the

Seoul Broadcasting System Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) () is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting System (서울방송). Its ...

(SBS) television show ''

Yoo Jae-suk Yoo Jae-suk (; or ; born on 14 August 1972) is a South Korean comedian, host and television personality. He has hosted several variety television shows in South Korea, including '' Infinite Challenge'', '' Running Man'', '' Happy Together, an ...

's Jinsil Game'' in 2005. She was a contestant on '' Korea's Next Top Model, Cycle 3'', where she ended 10th.

Career

After transitioning, Choi began to pursue her lifelong ambition of becoming a model. In 2009, she was amongst more than 1,200 applicants to the annual SBS-sponsored Super Model Contest, and gained public attention by progressing through the contest's preliminary rounds. Choi's participation drew mixed reactions from internet users and other contestants, but SBS officials stated that they would view it as a "violation of human rights" to disqualify a transgender individual whose legal sex was female. As one of the contest's 32 finalists, Choi automatically qualified as a professional model. Despite this, Choi claims to have faced discrimination in the modelling industry, having been refused participation in a fashion show without any clear reason. Since taking part in Super Model Contest, Choi has appeared on a number of television shows and has expressed a desire to become an actress. She has said that she hopes to marry around the age of thirty, and will adopt two children.

Filmography

* ''A Perfect Woman'' (2010-03-08 ~ 2010-04-26) - Herself * ''

The Princess' Man ''The Princess' Man'' () is a 2011 South Korean television series, starring Park Si-hoo, Moon Chae-won, Kim Yeong-cheol, Song Jong-ho, Hong Soo-hyun and Lee Soon-jae. It's a period drama about the forbidden romance between the daughter of G ...

'' (2011-07-20 ~ 2011-10-06) - Mu-yeong * ''Getting Aunt Gogong-sil'' (2011) * '' Korea's Next Top Model, Cycle 3'' (2012) - Herself (contestant)

Notes

References

External links

*
Choi Han-bit's Blog
* *
Choi Han-bit - Daum Cafe

Stershop - Daum Cafe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Han-Bit 1987 births Living people People from Gangneung 21st-century South Korean actresses 21st-century South Korean women singers 21st-century LGBT people LGBT actors from South Korea LGBT singers from South Korea South Korean female models South Korean film actresses South Korean television actresses Top Model contestants Transgender female models Transgender actresses