Korean actresses Seo Ji-hye, and Seo Ye-ji, who were romantically linked to “Mr. Queen” and “Crash Landing on You” star Kim Jung-hyun, shared different updates on their careers.
Last April 8, Korean media outlet Dispatch published a report and photos, saying Kim Jung-hyun, 31, and Seo Ji-hye, 36, who both starred in “Crash Landing on You,” were dating.
A source who knows the two said, “Kim Jung-hyun went through a difficult time due to personal reasons. Then he met Seo Ji-hye and came to rely on her.”
Culture Depot, Seo Ji-hye’s agency, denied the report, saying the two stars were just colleagues in the industry. They met at her house to discuss the possibility of Kim Jung-hyun transferring to Culture Depot from O& Entertainment where his contract was about to end in May.
O& Entertainment said Kim Jung-hyun’s contract should be extended by 11 months as he went on hiatus after quitting the drama “Time” in 2018 due to health reasons.
This led to a slew of issues surfacing against Kim Jung-hyun including his rude behavior towards “Time” co-star Seohyun, and another report by Dispatch on April 12 accusing actress Seo Ye-ji of manipulating the actor and telling him not to film any “skinship” or physical contact, and romantic scenes with Seohyun.
On May 2, or nearly a month after the dating news came out, Seo Ji-hye updated her Instagram account by posting photos of a coffee truck and writing, “Thank you, Missha.”
Seo Ji-hye is currently filming the Apple TV+’s drama “Mr. Robin” based on the webtoon “Dr. Brain.” It will also star Lee Sun-kyun, Teo Yoo and Lee Yoo-young.
On the other hand, Seo Ye-ji, 31, who admitted that she and Kim Jung-hyun were lovers at the time he was filming “Time,” decided not to do the drama “Island.”
Her agency Goldmedalist and CJ ENM both announced that Seo Ye-ji made a final decision no to appear in “Island” but did not state the reason. The production crew is currently finding an actress to replace Seo Ye-ji
Actor Kim Nam-gil has confirmed his participation in the drama while Cha Eun-woo of boy band ASTRO is reviewing it. “Island” will be made with a budget of 20 billion won (about $17.76 million).
Seo Ye-ji has been engulfed in different controversies since the “Dispatch” report was published on April 12.
After the “Time” report was published that accused her of manipulating Kim Jung-hyun, Seo Ye-ji issued a statement, blaming him for what happened and denied being a part of it.
“It is hard to understand through common sense the controversial report that the main actor of the drama would act as he is told by someone without his own free will. It is practically impossible for an actor to act and film without any will,” Seo Ye-ji’s agency said.
Goldmedalist branded the published KakaoTalk messages in which she ordered him what to do regarding scenes in “Time” as mere “lovers’ quarrel.”
Since then, Seo Ye-ji has been accused of other issues including suspicions on her academic background, mistreatment of staff and school violence.
Seo Ye-ji is nominated for best actress for “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards that will be held on May 13. She is currently leading in the Baeksang popularity vote on Tiktok.