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Who Is Steven Yeun’s Wife, Joana Pak? Here's Everything We Know

Including how 'The Walking Dead' star met his wife and how many kids they have

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steven yeun wife joana pak
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Steven Yeun has come a long way since he starred as Glenn Rhee in The Walking Dead. After exiting the series in 2016, he went on to star in the critically acclaimed film, Burning, which earned him nine awards. Then, he lent his voice to a number of animation series, from Final Space to Prime Video's Invincible. And of course, we can't forget about his 2020 film, Minari, which catapulted him to superstardom and earned him a historic Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

In 2023, Yeun showed off his acting chops in Netflix's Beef—and we're already keeping our eyes peeled for a possible season two. When asked about potential future seasons, Yeun told Vanity Fair, "We haven't talked about it too extensively. I think from the very get, the way we pitched this was as an anthology limited series. So we did want to close that loop at the end. Certainly, there's more that Danny could go through. I think there's so many places it could go that it almost feels impossible to narrow it down to one."

While a second season may not be in the cards, we're curious to learn more about his life away from the camera—or more specifically, his romantic relationship. In 2016, it was confirmed that he tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Joana Pak. So, who is Steven Yeun’s wife? Keep reading for details.

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steven yeun wife joana pak
Amy Sussman / Getty Images

1. Who Is Steven Yeun’s Wife, Joana Pak?

Joana Pak is a photographer who owns a freelance photography service called Jo Pakka Photography. We don't know much about her background, but we do know that Pak studied at Columbia College.

You can see some of her work on her Flickr account, which includes a few candid shots of her husband. Also, from the looks of her website, Pak enjoys taking photos of nature.

steven yeun and joana pak 1
Noel Vasquez / Getty Images

2. How Did Steven Yeun and Joana Pak Meet?

While speaking with Martha Stewart Weddings in 2017, Pak and Yeun revealed that they first met in Chicago in 2009, when Pak was still studying at college.

Yeun said, "She walked into the bar where I was a really sh*tty bartender, and it was kismet. After that, I saw her every day for six months."

When Yeun moved to Los Angeles and got cast in The Walking Dead, the couple maintained a long-distance relationship. Pak added, "He was based in Atlanta for half the year. I was in Chicago. We were kind of everywhere."

3. When Did They Get Married?

In August 2015, Yeun proposed to Pak, and in December of the following year, they wed in front of 220 guests—which included quite a few famous faces from The Walking Dead (Sarah Wayne Callies, who plays Lori, was in attendance).

According to Martha Stewart Weddings, the bride and groom honored their parents during the short ceremony by giving each of their mothers a bouquet. Yeun said, "We didn't make anything sacred. [This] made the ceremony very relaxed and focused on a greater message of love." Pak added, "We wanted to host a party."

Pak’s sister-in-law, Kayce, posted an IG snap of the special day and wrote, "Getting to celebrate the love between these two, last night, along with all their friends and family was so beautiful and special!! This whole week has been an awesome, family-filled, fun time and it's been so great! (We've also gained a brother in-law from it!)"

steven yeun wife
Amanda Edwards / Getty Images

4. Do They Have Children?

The happy couple have two children together. According to People, they welcomed their first son, Jude Malcolm, on St. Patrick’s Day in 2017. Then, they welcomed a baby girl in 2019, but they haven’t revealed her name.

While speaking with W Magazine about welcoming his daughter before the COVID-19 pandemic, Yeun said, "I wasn't working; I just jumped into family. I learned how to submit to my family and be there. Realistically, I didn't pick up any quarantine hobbies. I just learned how to be tired all the time."

Following their daughter's birth, Pak posted a photo of herself with her second child on Instagram, but the post has since been deleted. (Similarly, Yeun deleted the Instagram photo shared after the birth of their first child, which was originally captioned, “Thanks. We are well. Much much love.”)

steven yeun wife joana
Rob Latour/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images

5. Is There a Connection Between Minari and Steven Yeun's Wife?

In 2021, while chatting with W Magazine, Yeun mentioned that there's a special connection between the critically acclaimed film and his wife. He said, "Minari is essentially the story of my wife’s family. My wife is Korean but grew up in Arkansas, and her family first made their money by chicken sexing."

In preparation for his role in the film, he said, "They gave me some tips on how to work with the chicks."

6. Is Steven Yeun’s Wife Active on Instagram?

While Pak does have an Instagram account, she isn’t very active on social media. On her page, @jopakka, there’s just one photo of a double rainbow that was taken in 2019 (it seems that she deleted previous posts). She captioned it, "So you should view this fleeting world: A star at dawn, a bubble in the stream; A flash of lightning in a summer cloud; A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream." 

Meanwhile, Yeun had 13 posts on his IG page at one point, most of which were promotional. However, all of them have since been deleted.

Low-key relationships, FTW.

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