Asteroid Discovered in 2002 Earns Late Seohye-won’s Name… Official Birth of the “Xuxiyuan” Asteroid

An asteroid officially born in space has been named after Gu Jun-yeop’s late wife, Seohye-won (Xuxiyuan), a Taiwanese actor and singer who died suddenly last year.

■ Discovered in 2002, “2002 GF11” finalized as “Xuxiyuan”

On the 17th, according to Hong Kong media outlets including the Sing Tao Daily, the Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN) under the International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently confirmed and announced the official name of asteroid No. 208663, discovered by Hong Kong astronomer William Kwong Yu Yeung, as “Xuxiyuan (Xuxiyuan).”

The asteroid was first spotted on April 12, 2002, at the Desert Eagle Observatory in Arizona, the United States. At the time of discovery, it was referred to by the provisional designation “2002 GF11,” and it underwent an orbit-tracking and verification process before being given its final official name this time, based on the pronunciation of Seohye-won’s Chinese given name.

■ A “cosmic tribute” following in the footsteps of Yan Qing-xia and Zhang Guo-rong… the discoverer Yang Guang-wei’s special love for a star

Yang Guang-wei, who named the asteroid, is a leading figure in astronomy who has discovered more than 2,000 asteroids to date and previously served as the former president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society. He is known for a distinctive and beautiful practice of dedicating the names of legendary artists who made their mark on popular Chinese-language culture to the celestial bodies he has discovered.

In fact, the asteroids he discovered already bear the names of top stars who dominated the era, including Lin Qing-xia (Yan Qing-xia), Deng Li-jun (Deng Li-jun), Liu De-hua (Liu De-hua), Zhang Guo-rong (Zhang Guo-rong), and Wang Fei. Yang Guang-wei is said to have pushed for this naming in order to comfort Seohye-won’s fans and console them with her artistic achievements after her passing last year.

■ A “movie-like romance” that paid off after 20 years, and a farewell that came too soon

The love story of Seohye-won and Gu Jun-yeop had drawn major attention in both South Korea and Taiwan as a “romance even more cinematic than a movie.” The two met for the first time in 1998 and dated passionately for about a year before they split due to constraints on idol activities that spanned the times. Then, after 20 years passed, Gu Jun-yeop, who heard the news of Seohye-won’s divorce, called her from the past number again, and the connection reignited miraculously. The two then tied the knot as a married couple in 2022, crossing national borders.

But happiness did not last long. Seohye-won died suddenly at the age of 48 last February, after contracting the flu during a trip to Japan and then seeing her condition worsen into pneumonia complications. After the news dealt a huge blow to fans around the world, her husband Gu Jun-yeop has, to this day, completely suspended all external activities and is spending time in deep mourning.

Upon hearing the news of the “Xuxiyuan” asteroid written into the sky, local fans in Taiwan and across the Chinese-language world have continued to share heartbreaking tributes, saying, “She rose from her pain on earth to become the most beautiful star in the sky,” and “I hope it will bring comfort when Gu Jun-yeop looks at the night sky.”