Who’s Dating Who? The K-Drama “King The Land” Stars’ Real-Life Romances
Spoiler Alert
JTBC‘s K-Drama King the Land has become a huge worldwide hit as viewers have fallen in love with the charming hotelier Cheon Sa Rang (played by Girls’ Generation‘s YoonA, who is also known as Lim Yoon Ah) and handsome King Hotel heir and general manager Gu Won (2PM‘s Lee Junho), who have also now fallen for each other.
Amid a tense inheritance fight, a charming heir clashes with his hardworking employee who’s known for her irresistible smile — which he cannot stand.
— Netflix
Yet, the cast have their real-life romances… just not with each other! So, who are they dating in real life?
While 37-year-old actor Ahn Se Ha‘s King the Land character, Mr. Noh Sang Sik, Gu Won’s bestie and right-hand man, is single…
Ahn Se Ha is not! JUST Entertainment announced Ahn’s engagement on April 6, 2017. On May 14, 2017, he married his childhood friend, who attended the same college, in a ceremony held in Apgujeong, Gangnam, Seoul.
While his bride is a non-celebrity, Ahn’s wedding was attended by many, including Hyun Bin, Kahi, Nana, Han Sunhwa, Yoo Ji Tae, Park Jung Ah, and Cho Seung Woo, with performances by Realshow and B1A4. His long-time friend, musical actor Kim Bob Rae, started the ceremony as there was no officiant.
We see 34-year-old actress Kim Ga Eun‘s character Kang Da Eul, Sa Rang’s friend, get married early on in the show…
Sarang with her bob hair-cut & Pyeonghwa crying while performing at Daeul’s wedding😆 #KingTheLandpic.twitter.com/XjNjEinVEG
— 😵💫 (@ordinarynojaem) June 17, 2023
In real life, there is little to no information regarding Kim Ga Eun’s relationship status. It’s been about a decade since there were reports of her dating. In 2013, she was spotted with actor Choi Jin Hyuk on a bicycle date. However, it turned out they were just filming a music video.
On the other hand, Sa Rang’s bestie and roommate, Oh Pyung Hwa, portrayed by Go Won Hee (also romanized as Ko Won Hee), has a potential relationship with her co-worker, fellow flight attendant, Lee Ro Woon (Kim Jae Won).
The 28-year-old actress actually recently got married! On September 16, 2022, Management KOO announced that Go would marry her older non-celebrity boyfriend. Shortly after, on October 7, 2022, they married in a private ceremony at Hotel Shilla in Seoul. While the ceremony was attended by the couple’s families, celebrities, such as WJSN’s (also known as Cosmic Girls) Bona, Lee Chung Ah, Jun Hyosung, Ha Seok Jin, Jeon Hye Bin, and Lee Joo Woo congratulated her.
The longer we stayed together, the more we realized we were meant for each other. We came to appreciate every moment leading up to our union, under God’s presence.
And we’d like to share gratitude with everyone who congratulated us and blessed us so we could become whole, filling each other’s voids.
We won’t forget what we received. We promise to become a good, compassionate family that shares with those in need the same kind of love and support.
Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts.
— Go Won Hee
Our female lead, Girls’ Generation’s YoonA, has always been an “it girl” of K-Pop. So, naturally, she was the object of many people’s affection, but very few were lucky enough actually to date her!
YoonA’s “long history of dating rumors” began in 2012 when a Chinese tabloid falsely alleged that she and PSY were seeing each other. In reality, she was filming Running Man and was photographed with the show’s director, not PSY!
YoonA was the first Girls’ Generation member to publicly announce their relationship when she dated fellow singer and actor Lee Seung Gi. Previously, he had expressed that she was his ideal type, and he was teased about it frequently when he was a host on Strong Heart. They dated from 2013 until 2015, when they broke up due to busy schedules.
YoonA and her The K2 co-star Ji Chang Wook were caught up in dating rumors due to their chemistry. Yet, he denied the rumors. Yet, he previously clowned Dispatch during the filming of their K-Drama.
The dating rumors involving YoonA are not true. I just worked hard and, again, a lot of people came to misunderstand this time. So I thought, ‘Again?’ and just laughed…
— Ji Chang Wook
YoonA has been shipped with many celebrities throughout her career due to her great on-screen chemistry. Not only that, but there were previously rumors surrounding her and labelmate EXO‘s Sehun.
Currently, she is reported to be single. YoonA’s most recent dating rumors were actually her current on-screen love interest, Junho.
Interestingly, Junho is one of four 2PM members who have long expressed interest in YoonA. She and Junho have been longtime friends and showcased chemistry on many occasions with dance performances.
The rumors surrounding Juno and YoonA are the first “dating scandal” the 33-year-old idol-actor has found himself at the center of. Junho has not had much of a dating life in the past fifteen years due to his career as both an idol and an actor.
So, he only has stories from the past. His first love was forced to end when his girlfriend’s mother broke them up after witnessing a kiss.
I turned around and saw a black mass like a hand, and it went like, ‘Boom!’ I wasn’t the one who got hit; it was my girlfriend. Someone slapped her and grabbed her by her hair, and that black mass dragged her.
— Junho
Only a couple of weeks after King the Land premiered, rumors circulated that the lead actors, Junho and YoonA, had been dating since before filming began. While fans were delighted by the news, both artists’ companies, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment, quickly denied it.
The two are close but the reports that they are dating are not true.
— JYP Entertainment
YoonA is close with Junho, but the rumors that they are dating are not true.
— SM Entertainment
Still, fans are hoping and believing there is truth to the rumors. Read more below.
