Jung Kyung-ho Avoids Marriage Talk, Breaks Up with Sooyoung—Signs of Split Were Apparent

The representative “long-running couple” in the Korean entertainment industry—actor Jung Kyung-ho and Girls’ Generation member Sooyoung—officially announced their breakup on the 9th, ending their 14-year-long relationship. Both parties’ agencies confirmed that the two have recently grown apart due to busy work schedules and spending less time together, ultimately deciding to end their relationship and return to being good colleagues. The news left countless fans, who were convinced they would get married, exclaiming in disbelief.

With the news of their breakup out, netizens quickly turned into detectives, uncovering “signs of a split” in their recent interactions: At the end of last year, when Jung Kyung-ho attended a press conference for his new drama, the host and director at the event teamed up to publicly grill him about his wedding date. At the time, Jung looked very flustered, constantly waving his hands pleading, "That’s really not happening, don’t say that!" Although the public interpreted his reaction as a hint of an impending marriage, in hindsight, his nervousness seemed to foreshadow relationship troubles.

On a show last month, Girls’ Generation members Hyoyeon, Yuri, and Sooyoung discussed the topic of marriage together. Surprisingly, Hyoyeon skipped over Sooyoung, who had been in the longest relationship, and proactively declared, “The next person to get married will be me.” Many speculated that Hyoyeon might have already known about the changes in Sooyoung’s relationship.

What caught fans even more off guard was that just 9 hours before the official split announcement, Jung Kyung-ho was still posting photos on social media of “Hoyeong,” the dog he and Sooyoung raised together, joking in the caption, “Fart monster,” showing no signs of trouble. Soon after, netizens noticed that the two had unfollowed each other on social media, and just 9 hours later, both agencies released statements confirming the breakup.

Jung Kyung-ho and Sooyoung began dating in 2012. Their love story earned much admiration, including Jung quitting smoking for Sooyoung, the couple raising a dog together and naming it after both, and Jung giving Sooyoung 1,000 roses on their 1,000-day anniversary—stirring envy among many. Yet, in the end, the couple could not overcome real-world challenges and chose to part ways. #

Source: ETtoday Star News + NOWnews Entertainment