The entertainment industry in 2024 was noisier than ever with news of relationships, breakups, and divorces. Beyond revelations and targeting, the 'divorce war' was almost live-streamed on SNS. The controversy over Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee's relationship sparked by Hyeri's comment "It's fun," and the tumultuous divorce lawsuits of Park Ji-yoon & Choi Dong-seok, and Lee Bum-soo & Lee Yoon-jin heated up the online space. On the other hand, the delightful news of Han Ji-min and Choi Jeong-hoon (from the band Jannabi) dating, HyunA and Yong Jun-hyung's marriage, and TWICE's Chaeyoung and Zion.T's confident relationship painted the entertainment world in pink. Here’s a summary of the stars who laughed and cried in love.
Actors Han So-hee and Ryu Jun-yeol were embroiled in various controversies during their public relationship and breakup process last March. The dating rumors, which began with sightings in Hawaii, escalated into a relationship controversy when Hyeri commented "It's fun." Han So-hee responded with "I find it fun too," bringing the conflict between the former and current girlfriends to the surface. Han So-hee posted a picture of a dog holding a knife on SNS, stating, "I like the idea of a relationship transfer program, but it doesn't exist in my life. I also find it fun," expressing her anger. Eventually, Ryu Jun-yeol and Han So-hee acknowledged their relationship, but after continued noise, they announced their breakup two weeks later. Han So-hee announced their breakup just 15 days into their public relationship, alongside a meme of Nicole Kidman celebrating after her divorce. This incident also led to Han So-hee's withdrawal from the casting of director Han Jae-rim's new film 'Hypnotized,' which was in progress with Ryu Jun-yeol.
The divorce war of the broadcasting couple Choi Dong-seok and Park Ji-yoon, known as a lovebird couple, was a continuous series of revelations and targeting. After announcing their separation after 14 years of marriage last October, the two engaged in a public war, even triggering a self-bomb called 'counter-suit for adultery.' In June, Park Ji-yoon filed a damages lawsuit against B, who was identified as Choi Dong-seok's mistress, and on September 30, Choi Dong-seok filed a lawsuit for damages against Park Ji-yoon and A, the alleged man involved. Both sides denied the affair allegations, but later revealed recorded conversations that had caused conflicts, leading to suspicions of jealousy and allegations of sexual assault between the couple. Choi Dong-seok claimed that Park Ji-yoon was mentally committing adultery, while Park Ji-yoon countered that it was Choi Dong-seok's delusions and jealousy. The situation escalated to the point where a petition was filed through the National Petition Office requesting an investigation into Choi Dong-seok's sexual assault allegations.
The separation process of actor Lee Bum-soo and interpreter Lee Yoon-jin was also noisy. In December last year, Lee Yoon-jin tagged Lee Bum-soo's account in a post saying, "My first chapter has ended," and the fact that they unfollowed each other on Instagram sparked breakup rumors. After it was revealed that they were in the process of divorce, Lee Yoon-jin exposed Lee Bum-soo's bizarre double life, secret hobbies, and mother-in-law conflicts through SNS, drawing attention. Lee Bum-soo's side stated, "It's not true," and expressed their intention to respond in court, but Lee Yoon-jin continued to expose more. During the divorce proceedings, Lee Yoon-jin shared on a variety show that living as a celebrity spouse was difficult, describing herself as "the queen of support" and a "perfect daughter" who speaks four languages, while living in Bali with her daughter.
After going through a divorce process and remarrying, Hwang Jung-eum announced her self-divorce through SNS. The day after she left a cryptic message saying, "You must have been very busy until now, so enjoy it comfortably," her agency revealed that "divorce proceedings are ongoing." She also caused a stir by posting a message targeting a regular woman, mistaking her for her husband's affair partner, and later apologized. Five months after announcing her divorce proceedings, she acknowledged her relationship with basketball player Kim Jong-kyu, but they broke up two weeks later. She later transformed her divorce experiences into humorous self-deprecating jokes on various entertainment programs.
The marriage and divorce of Sunwoo Eun-sook and Yoo Young-jae, which gained attention for their 'twilight remarriage,' ultimately ended in tragedy. In April this year, they announced their divorce news after 1 year and 6 months of marriage. Following this, suspicions arose that Yoo Young-jae was not remarrying Sunwoo Eun-sook but was involved in a third marriage, and Sunwoo Eun-sook appeared on MBN's 'Sokpuri Show! Dongchimi' and revealed, "If I had known about the common-law relationship before marriage, and if it had been such a deep relationship, I would not have accepted the marriage in 8 days, nor would I have registered the marriage." She also stated that Yoo Young-jae was in a third marriage, saying, "(I) am legally his third wife." Subsequently, in April, Sunwoo Eun-sook's older sister A filed a complaint against Yoo Young-jae for forced molestation at the Bundang Police Station, and Sunwoo Eun-sook also filed a lawsuit for annulment, leading to a legal battle.
After 6 months of dating, T-ara member Ji-yeon and professional baseball player Hwang Jae-kyun also ended with a divorce. They married in December 2022 and shared their newlywed life through YouTube, but in June, a baseball commentator's voice was leaked during a commercial break saying, "Did you know? Hwang Jae-kyun got divorced," which sparked divorce rumors. At that time, both sides stated that it was unfounded, but four months later, they began divorce mediation.
The breakup of actor Jung Ho-yeon and Lee Dong-whee, who were in a '9-year relationship,' was unexpected. They began their public relationship in 2016 and had shown affection for each other at official events. Even after Jung Ho-yeon rose to global stardom through Netflix's 'Squid Game' Season 1 (2021), she did not hide her affection. Curiosity arose over the sudden breakup announcement, but both sides only conveyed the official stance that they decided to remain "good colleagues."
Actor Lee Jae-wook and Aespa's Karina developed a romantic relationship after meeting at a luxury fashion show in January, but later suffered mental distress due to various malicious comments and ultimately ended their relationship just five weeks after going public. Both faced malicious comments from some fans, and Karina even posted an apology. The situation of having to write an apology letter after the dating news drew attention from foreign media, which referred to it as the "notorious K-pop industry."
It wasn't all gloomy news of breakups and separations. The relationship between actor Han Ji-min and Jannabi's Choi Jeong-hoon received nationwide support. Han Ji-min, a fan of Jannabi, appeared as a guest on Choi Jeong-hoon's 'Park of Night' last August, and their connection developed into a romantic relationship. Han Ji-min's acknowledgment of her relationship was celebrated even more as it was her first since debuting in the entertainment industry. Han Ji-min was born in 1982, and Choi Jeong-hoon in 1992, making them a 10-year age gap couple, but considering Han Ji-min's age, marriage possibilities are also being speculated.
Singer HyunA and Yong Jun-hyung began their public relationship in January by posting a photo of themselves holding hands on their respective SNS. After acknowledging their relationship, HyunA's past public relationships and Yong Jun-hyung's history of sharing illegal footage came under scrutiny, leading to some ups and downs. However, after nine months of dating, they tied the knot on October 11 at Samcheonggak in Seoul. During the ceremony, HyunA stated, "I will be a friend-like wife who does anything with my husband if he develops a hobby," and added, "I will not be afraid to wake up together every morning and will live happily and joyfully."
In April, it was reported that former Lovelyz member and broadcaster Lee Mi-joo was dating soccer player Song Beom-keun. Lee Mi-joo, who is three years older than Song Beom-keun, showed her affection by traveling to Yokohama, Japan, to meet him, who plays in the J-League.
Chaeyoung, a member of the girl group TWICE, and singer Zion.T also acknowledged their relationship. "Chaeyoung and Zion.T have feelings for each other and are supporting one another." Chaeyoung was born in 1999, while Zion.T was born in 1989, making a 10-year age difference between them.
Song Ji-eun, a former member of the girl group 'Secret,' married her husband, YouTuber Park Wi, in October. They share their daily lives with fans through the YouTube channel 'Wiraquel.' Park Wi expressed, "Getting married is so happy. The sense of stability in my heart is so different from when I was dating. It feels like I have a partner for life," sharing about their newlywed life.
Apink's Yoon Bomi and producer Black Eyed Pilseung also acknowledged their relationship on April 23. Lee Chae-min and Ryu Da-in, who met through the tvN drama 'Crash Course in Romance,' and actors Jung Eun-chae and designer-broadcaster Kim Chung-jae also revealed that they are in a relationship.
In August, a couple of 12-year age difference, Kim Ji-seok and Lee Joo-myung, was born, and singer Park Hyun-ho and Eun Ga-eun announced their wedding plans for next April. Broadcaster Kim Jong-min, a former member of Koyote, also made a surprise announcement about his marriage plans with his 11-year younger girlfriend next year.
