Emmy Nominee and Movie Star Boyfriend Break up After Nine Years Together: Split of HoYeon Jung and Lee Dong-hwi Confirmed

Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon and K-drama star Lee Dong-hwi have called it quits on their relationship. In statements on Nov. 26, a representative from Jung’s agency, Saerom Entertainment, and Lee’s agency, Company On, confirmed that the pair have amicably split after nine years together.

“Lee Dong-hwi and Jung Ho-yeon have decided to return to being good colleagues,” the statement read, according to The Korea Times. A reason for the split was not given, and neither Jung nor Lee have publicly commented on the end of their relationship.

Considered to be one of South Korea’s most beloved celebrity couples, Jung and Lee began quietly dating in 2015 and went public with their relationship the following year. Although both are major stars, they opted to keep their romance mostly out of the spotlight aside from occasional comments about one another.

While filming the travel variety show Kwak Jun-bin’s World Taxi Restaurant 2 in the U.S. back in August, per Asia One, Lee affectionately told the taxi driver, “Do you know Squid Game? Sae-byeok is my girlfriend and best friend.” During a guest appearance on South Korean host Yoo Jae-suk’s YouTube talk show in April, Jung, meanwhile, recounted how she got David Beckham’s autograph for Lee at an Adidas event. Beckham, however, went a step further and recorded a video for the avid fan.

“I sent it to him, and it was a big deal among him and his friends,” Jung recalled, Her World reported. “He said he was so proud.”

Jung rose to fame with her breakout role as North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok on Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, which premiered in 2021 and is set to return for its second season on Dec. 26. The role earned her numerous awards nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 2022 Emmys, and she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Since making her acting debut on the Netflix show, the model-turned actress, who previously appeared on Korea’s Next Top Model, has gone on to star in 2024’s Chicken Nugget and the Apple TV+ series Disclaimer. She will next appear in director Na Hong-jin’s movie Hope.

Lee, meanwhile, is best known for his portrayal of Ryu Dong Ryong in the popular K-drama Reply 1988. He has also starred in films like Extreme Job (2019) and The Roundup: Punishment (2024), as well as shows such as Big Bet. He is next set to star in the upcoming variety show Rented in Finland, and will perform in the play The Lives of Others.