South Korean actress Lee Young-ae, widely popular across Asia, has given birth to twins, her agent said on Monday.

    Lee, 40, became a mother of fraternal twins*, a boy and a girl, on Sunday at a Seoul hospital, said Storms Company.

    “The mother and the babies are healthy,” it said.

    Lee was secretly married in 2009 in the United States to a Korean businessman, surprising fans everywhere.

    Lee, considered one of the most influential actresses in South Korea with a broad fan base built on the Korean Wave throughout East and Southeast Asian countries, debuted* in a television commercial in 1991. She started gaining stardom in TV dramas and movies with her composed* image and acting skill.

    Lee’s popularity exploded after her performance in “Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum),” about the life of a court lady in the Joseon Dynasty. It was first released overseas in 2004 and quickly won a following. The fictional historical drama reached as far as Iranian television in 2007 and drew 86 percent of viewers in the Middle East nation, an unprecedented* record for a Korean show.

    (SD-Agencies)