Heartthrob Lee Dong-wook of Korean drama and singing-acting sensation Bae Suzy surprised everyone when they announced their romance in March 2018. Sharing a significant 13-year age difference — Lee was 36 and Suzy was 23 — the couple’s romance garnered immediate widespread attention from fans and media all over Asia. The high-profile romance just as speedily terminated after two months, with the public speculating whether disapproval regarding their age difference was a factor.
The two stars’ agencies released statements stating their hectic schedules made it difficult for the pair to see each other, and the relationship ended in a “natural” breakup. Public conversation, however, tells a different story. From “ajusshi” jokes targeted at Lee Dong-wook to internet anger blaming Suzy for being a “serial dater,” the couple went through a virtual storm that probably exerted pressure on their new relationship.
Age-gap relationships are nothing new to the entertainment industry, but in South Korea’s closely monitored celebrity culture, such relationships tend to spark intense debate. While there was support from many fans, others vilified the couple, leading some to think their rapid split could have been the result of the vicious online backlash.
Whatever the reason, their romance is still one of the most discussed fleeting relationships in the history of K-pop. Fans continue to glance back at the couple with interest — not merely due to star power, but due to what it demonstrated about fame, privacy, and cultural pressures in South Korea.
