With the rise of K-pop’s popularity around the globe, more and more people discover South Korean culture, becoming invested in its traditions, language, and entertainment. Nowadays, Korean TV shows and movies have a chance to shine, as American audiences finally open up to and recognize the quality of international media, despite the easily overcome language barrier. Parasite, Train to Busan, and Squid Game are excellent examples of the best South Korea has to offer the entertainment industry, perfectly mixing themes of horror and classism with gut-wrenching drama scenes. Even so, these types of movies and shows are not the most easily found on South Korean screens. Rather, K-dramas are.
A devastating majority of Korean dramas have love as a central theme, making romance shows the most popular genre in the country. These series typically feature two main characters with tragic backstories who fall in love despite all the forces against them. In fairness, some K-dramas have a lighter approach, infusing the story with moments of comic relief, but the drama component is always present. It wouldn’t be considered a K-drama otherwise.
No matter how experienced K-drama actors might be, when one is playing scenes deliberately created to sweep viewers off their feet, it’s normal to get caught up in the moment. Sometimes, though, portraying an all-encompassing romance can lead to more. We’ve all heard stories about actors who take their on-screen relationships to the real world, and it’s always an exciting experience for dedicated fans. Therefore, in a celebration of love, here we list 10 K-drama couples who made things official in real life, too.
Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk
Any K-drama fan is familiar with this couple. The two starred in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo, a popular series about youth, sports, and romance. The show aired between 2016 and 2017, with Lee Sung Kyung in the role of a weightlifter, and Nam Joo Hyuk playing a swimmer who goes to the same college. The characters become friends on screen and end up falling in love.
In real life, the two actors already knew each other when filming began, having been under the same modeling agency at one point. Among intense fan speculation, the couple’s current agency, YG Entertainment, confirmed their relationship in April 2017. Unfortunately, the romance didn’t last long, and four months later, the two announced a split. In early 2022, rumors surfaced about the pair giving their relationship another try, but nothing has been confirmed.
Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung
These two first met on the set of Save the Last Dance for Me, a TV series that aired from October 2004 to January 2005. In the drama, Ji Sung played the role of an heir to a chemical company, and Lee Bo Young took on the role of his fiancée. Despite this, Ji Sung’s character falls in love with someone else.
In real life, however, the pair began dating and eventually confirmed their relationship publicly in 2007. Fast forward to 2013, the couple announced an engagement and tied the knot in the same year. Currently, they have two children together, born in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
Koo Hye Sun and Ahn Jae Hyun
Ahn Jae Hyun played the lead role in Blood, the 2015 TV show where he met Koo Hye Sun. On-screen, he was a vampire living a double life as a human surgeon, while Koo played another doctor who is initially annoyed by the main character. In 2016, it was confirmed that the couple had been dating in real life since the show’s premiere, and that same year they got married.
The romance lasted until 2019 when the two got divorced. All we know is that Ahn was the one requesting the separation, as Koo publicly announced that she was not on board. Nevertheless, that was the end of their story.
Ki Tae Young and Kim Yoo Jin
In 2009, Creating Destiny brought this couple together. Kim Yoo Jin, known artistically as Eugene, played a young woman being forced by her father to marry the son of his best friend, played by Ki Tae Young. Despite creating a plan to get out of wedlock, the two eventually fall in love.
During the first four or five months of filming together, nothing was going on between the actors, but soon after, a spark grew and the two entered a relationship. In 2011, the couple announced an engagement and got married that same year. Nowadays, Kim Yoo Jin and Ki Tae Young still live happily with their two daughters.
Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young
The K-drama City Hunter aired in 2011, and it was during this time that actors Park Min Young and Lee Min Ho developed feelings for each other. The pair played the main couple in the TV show, a man desperate to expose his father’s killers, and a female bodyguard sworn to protect the South Korean president.
With fans growing increasingly suspicious, a month after the show finished airing the actors’ agencies confirmed their relationship. However, only five months later, the announcement of their breakup came. According to their agencies, it was difficult for Park and Lee to spend time together due to their busy schedules, but they remained friends.
Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo
This couple took the lead roles in the massively popular 2016 K-drama Descendants of the Sun. Song Joong Ki plays the captain of a South Korean Special Forces unit, who falls in love with Song Hye Kyo’s character, a highly skilled surgeon.
In 2017, Song and Song confirmed their relationship by reporting that marriage was on the way. They tied the knot in October of the same year, to the delight of a legion of fans. Nearly two years later, though, the two announced a divorce, claiming they were unable to work through their many differences in personality.
Son Ye Jin and Kim Tae Pyung
Despite co-starring in The Negotiation in 2018, it wasn’t until 2020 that Son Ye Jin and Kim Tae Pyung, better known as Hyun Bin, began dating. The pair reunited on-screen during Crash Landing on You, which follows a South Korean heiress who crashes into North Korean soil during a hurricane. There she meets the captain of the Korean People’s Army, who attempts to help her get back to the South undetected.
Almost a year after the TV show ended, the pair announced they were in a relationship, and got married in March 2022. In November, Son and Kim welcomed their first child to the world, and remain happily together.
Jung So Min and Lee Chang Sun
The K-drama My Father Is Strange aired in 2017 on South Korean TV, introducing viewers to an apparently normal family… until an estranged son shows up to upturn their lives. In the series, Lee Chang Sun, known professionally as Lee Joon, plays the newfound son, and Jung So Min acts as his love interest. Despite a load of family drama, the two end up engaged in the show; however, things didn’t turn out so well in real life.
The two met while shooting the series, and started a romantic relationship in October 2017. Around that time, unfortunately, Lee put his life on pause to begin South Korea’s mandatory military service. A month after he was discharged, in January 2020, the couple announced their breakup, claiming to spend too much time apart for a relationship to work. The two decided to focus on their individual projects and remain colleagues.
Lee Hye Ri and Ryu Jun Yeol
The Reply series is a classic in K-drama land and every fan has heard of it at the very least. Out of its three installments, Reply 1988 seems to be the most beloved, and interestingly, there was more than 80’s nostalgia happening on set. The lead actress, Lee Hye Ri, and one of her two love interests, played by Ryu Jun Yeol, met during filming and while getting to know each other, romance was sparked. To the disappointment of many, their characters didn’t end up together in the hit show, but real life has a way of turning things upside down.
Reply 1988 finished airing in January 2016, and later that year, Lee and Ryu began dating. While there is no marriage in sight – for now – the couple is still together, having recently celebrated their sixth anniversary.
Ryu Soo Young and Park Ha Sun
This pair first met while shooting the 2013 drama Two Weeks, which follows a man being pursued by the police for a crime he didn’t commit, while trying to save his daughter’s life. In the series, Park Ha Sun plays the ex-girlfriend, who shows up with a kid after eight years apart, while Ryu Soo Young plays her current fiancé and the officer who arrests the main character.
The couple started dating in 2014, after the show finished airing, and have been together ever since. In January 2017, the two became husband and wife, welcoming their first child in August of the same year.
While not all these relationships lasted, it’s always nice to see love bloom in unconventional situations. If you’ve watched all the series mentioned in this article and can’t get enough, feel free to check out the most promising South Korean shows set to release in 2023. The new year is bound to be a blast for K-drama enthusiasts.
