Lee Yi Kyung Explains Why He Mentioned Ex-girlfriend Jung In Sun, “Thought I’d be Married”
In the 13th episode of tvN’s “Handsome Guys” that aired on March 2nd, actor Lee Yi Kyung appeared as a guest. Here, Lee Yi Kyung expressed his envy towards John Park, who drew attention with his marriage story.
Particular, the actor told John Park, who is in his 3rd year of marriage, “It seems like your daughter has changed you,” before making everyone laugh by expressing his loneliness as he lamented, “I thought I would be married by now.”
Meanwhile, Lee Yi Kyung previously appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel @zzanbro. Here, the actor recalled his viral speech at the 2024 SEOULCON APAN STAR AWARDS, where he publicly mentioned his ex-lover, actress Jung In Sun, in good humor.
Reflecting on the speech, Lee Yi Kyung shared a behind-the-scenes story, saying, “I got more calls about my acceptance speech than calls congratulating me on receiving the award.”
On December 28, the 2024 SEOULCON APAN STAR AWARDS took place at Art Hall 1 of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. Lee Yi Kyung won the Male Excellence Award (Mid-Length Drama) for his performance as a villain in Marry My Husband.
Taking the stage, Lee Yi Kyung started his speech humorously:
“First of all, I’m so grateful to the Marry My Husband team, but above all, I deeply thank the judges for choosing me among such strong nominees.”
He continued:
“The way actors meet each other is through projects. At award ceremonies, there are people I can greet and thank, but there are also those I’ve always wanted to meet but haven’t worked with yet. For example, I greeted Kim Tae Ri, and she actually recognized me. I’m so grateful to the judges who made that possible.”
Lee Yi Kyung then unexpectedly mentioned his ex-girlfriend:
“And there’s someone I thought I might never meet again. For those who know, you know—thank you to the judges who brought me and Jung In Sun together again. Congratulations on your award, Jung In Sun.”
Lee Yi Kyung and Jung In Sun had previously starred together in JTBC’s Welcome to Waikiki in 2018. Shortly before the drama’s finale, the two revealed they had been dating for a year. However, their relationship ended just a month and a half after going public, which saddened fans at the time.
Closing his speech, Lee Yi Kyung reflected on his acting journey:
“This award holds special meaning for me because many people associate me more with variety shows than acting. Receiving an award for playing a villain is deeply meaningful to me. I’m incredibly grateful. If anyone’s wondering, ‘Why did he win a Male Excellence Award?’—it’s not too late. Please watch Marry My Husband!”
Lee Yi-kyung’s witty speech, coupled with Jung In-sun’s “laughing it off” reaction, drew the attention of netizens.
The spotlight has now shifted to other notable “cool ex-couples” in the entertainment world, with actors Ryoo Seung-bum and Gong Hyo-jin being a prime example. The two dated for about 10 years before splitting in 2012. Ryoo Seung-bum married a Slovakian painter in 2019 and has a daughter, while Gong Hyo-jin tied the knot with singer Kevin Oh in 2022.
Recently, the former couple drew attention when Ryoo Seung-bum made a casual mention of Gong Hyo-jin. On the November 25 episode of SBS PowerFM’s “Cultwo Show”, Ryoo Seung-bum appeared with Bae Doo-na to promote Coupang Play’s series “Family Matters”.
He shared a behind-the-scenes story from his cameo in the 2010 MBC drama “Pasta”. He recounted “I was having dinner nearby when Gong Hyo-jin called and asked me to do a quick scene. She said it’d only take 30 minutes, so I went with my dinner crew and shot the scene”, casually referring to his ex.
The memorable reunion of comedian Shin Dong-yup and model Lee Sora also cannot be overlooked. Lee Sora invited Shin Dong-yup, her ex-boyfriend, as the first guest on her YouTube channel “Supermarket Sora”. The two, who had broken up in 2001, reunited after 23 years, creating a historic moment in Korean entertainment.
Later, Lee Sora made a surprise appearance as a host on Coupang Play’s comedy show “SNL Korea”, led by Shin Dong-yup, sparking another wave of interest.
