Say it ain’t so!

One of the most openly affectionate couples in the K-entertainment sphere, who were largely expected to announce wedding plans sometime soon (possibly even this year), has instead broken it off.

Kim Jung-eun and Lee Seo-jin started dating while filming the 2006 SBS drama Lovers, and had been going strong ever since. In the two years they had been dating, they were one of a few celebrity couples who were open about their relationship status (many others choose to be coy, denying rumors even when they’re obvious to the public), and were occasionally seen in public on dates together. Both stars were effusive in praise about the other, and Lee Seo-jin even appeared on Kim Jung-eun’s variety show (Chocolate) to serenade her with a love song, singing the same love theme that marked their characters’ romance in the drama Lovers. The two traveled to the U.S. together as recently as this summer, and shot a fashion spread together in New York in September.

So it’s a bit of a shock to hear from Kim Jung-eun’s own lips that the couple is no more. She admitted it in press interviews on November 22, saying she couldn’t keep lying to the public further — the split occurred at the end of October. It’s particularly surprising since the couple hadn’t given signs of much trouble or fighting leading up to this news.

Kim confessed that it was a one-sided decision; Lee initiated the breakup, which came as a shock to her. She fought tears as she conducted her interview, saying, “It felt like I’d been in an unexpected car accident” and “I felt like I’d been shot.”

She admits that it’s difficult dealing with the shock of the breakup, and had just begun work on her new series General Hospital 2 when Lee dumped her. The drama just began airing this Wednesday on MBC.

I’m sure there are two sides to every story (although I wonder if Lee will suffer more, since he already had a bit of a rep for cool breakups), but still: AWW.

Via DongA.com

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Looks like openly affectionate lovebirds Kim Jung-eun and Lee Seo-jin will be vacationing in the U.S. (very) shortly. The couple was spotted on the morning of Sunday the 20th at Incheon International Airport, although they weren’t photographed together as they arrived and checked in separately.

Lee Seo-jin arrived first, reportedly between 9:30am and 9:50am, but seemed to be aware of the reporters watching as he waited for Kim Jung-eun to arrive and checked in first. Approximately twenty minutes later, Kim arrived in a bit of a rush and hurried to check in, after which she met up with Lee.

The couple is wrapping up a busy year, particularly on his end. She just finished recording for her SBS variety program Kim Jung-eun’s Chocolate, while he’s spent nine months of the past year committed to the unrelenting filming schedule for the long-running drama Yi San, which finally wrapped in June. He held a fanmeeting just the day before his departure, on the 19th.

This trip combines business with pleasure, as both are heading to New York for a photo shoot. Still, it’s likely that this will turn into an extended vacation for them both; at the time Yi San was winding to a close, Lee had explained, “After the drama ends, I plan to take a long break.”

Via Newsen

SONG OF THE DAY

Mystic Puzzle - “Flight Voyage” [ Download ]

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Anyone else confused about the weird, constantly changing drama-programming schedule these days? Well, blame it all on Monday-Tuesday’s sageuk juggernaut drama Yi San.

MBC’s extremely popular long-running historical hit (which began airing last September) was originally set to air, I believe, something around 50 episodes. But because of its popularity, the series was extended, and extended again — and then retracted its extension, only to then extend it again. Finally, they’d set today (June 10th, that is) as its finale airdate — until President Lee Myung Bak announced his intention to have a “Talk with the Nation” to air the 9th, which would push Yi San’s finale to the following Monday (June 16). However, then the talk was canceled, bringing the finale back to the 10th, but then MBC decided to reschedule it to the 16th anyway.

As a result, KBS and SBS have likewise scrambled to avoid butting heads with the competition with their new dramas. That explains why Strongest Chil Woo, which was originally planning to premiere yesterday (June 9), moved to next Tuesday (June 17), with SBS’s Gourmet following suit. Tuesday is a strange day to premiere a new Monday-Tuesday show (I wonder if both series will then extend their runs by one episode to even out their broadcast schedule), but with Yi San ending Monday, they aren’t taking chances.

You might wonder why the other two stations would so obviously show their fear of MBC’s drama, but we’re talking brand-new series here. If a minor schedule reshuffling can start the new drama on a clean slate, it’s a small price to pay rather than jinxing its schedule by handicapping its premiere episode knowingly. And MBC’s constant extensions may have frustrated some fans — story always suffers with last-minute tinkering — but MBC’s had a rather lackluster ratings year. Nothing else has matched, or even come near, Yi San’s 30% ratings numbers, which is why they’ve been so reluctant to relinquish it. (MBC follows Yi San with the Kim Sun Ah series When Night Comes.)

In any case, with their finale still to air, the cast and crew of Yi San gathered at Seoul’s 63 Building on the 10th to pre-emptively raise a toast to the end of their drama (maybe they had no time to shift their location reservation with all this last-minute schedule reshuffling?). Stars Lee Seo Jin and Han Ji Min were naturally present, as was MBC president Eom Ki Young.

Who wants to lay bets on how long it takes Lee Seo Jin to announce his wedding plans now that he’s free from filming?

Via New Daily, E Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Ibadi - “끝나지 않은 이야기” (Unending story) [ Download ]

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Cuuute.

On the 8th, actress Kim Jung Eun recorded the first episode of the new music talk program she hosts, Kim Jung Eun’s Chocolate (the concept: comfort with an intimate, friendly vibe) on SBS.

Making a guest appearance was boyfriend and fellow actor Lee Seo Jin, taking time off from his busy shooting schedule for MBC’s popular sageuk drama Yi San. He said, “Isn’t it natural that I’d come on for her first episode?” He jokingly added, “When I said I was appearing on Chocolate, the producers of Yi San asked when Kim Jung Eun was going to appear on Yi San.”

Lee Seo Jin also sang a song, Lim Jae Beom’s “Confession” (go hae), which perhaps holds particular meaning for the high-profile couple, who started their relationship on the set of their drama Lovers, for which “Confession” was the main love theme song. In practicing for his “Go hae” serenade, he joked that he’d turned the Yi San set into a “sea of confessions” (”Go hae sea” — pun!).

Kim Jung Eun also showed off her piano-playing talent (she’d been practicing her piano and singing in preparation for her new show), and other guests included music group Yuri Sangja (glass box), Park Jung Hyun (aka Lena Park), and Kim Jang Hoon. The program airs on the 11th.

Via OSEN, Newsen, Yonhap News

SONG OF THE DAY

Lovers OST - “고해” (confession) sung by Chi Yeol, originally an Lim Jae Beom song.
[ zShare download ]

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Hmm, wedding bells may be near at hand for the openly affectionate couple Lee Seo Jin and Kim Jung Eun.

Although they’ve been dating for a while (reportedly since they costarred in late 2006 as lovers in, duh, Lovers) and fans have wondered if and when the couple would officially get hitched, 35-year-old Lee Seo Jin now admits his desire to marry after he’s done filming his current series, MBC’s historical drama Yi San. The drama, which has planned for a sixty-episode run, will finish its broadcast run in March — but as the series is doing well, many speculate over whether an extension is likely.

A source close to the couple confirmed, “Lee Seo Jin admitted to Kim Jung Eun his wish to marry after Yi San finishes. I think it’s probable they’ll have the wedding sometime this year.”

With his drama being a hit and her recent movie (The Best Moment In Our Lives, also starring Moon Sori) expected to be a success, now’s as good as any time for the two to tie the knot. (For the trivia-minded, Kim Jung Eun was the recent bouquet-catcher at Sung Hyun Ah’s wedding last December.)

However, both actors remain busy with their careers, and as yet, “There are no official wedding plans.”

Via My Daily

SONG OF THE DAY

Seeya - “결혼할까요” (Shall we marry?) [ zShare download ]

 
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