It has belatedly been revealed that actor Koo Kyo Hwan and director Lee Ok Seop are legally married and had already registered their marriage in 2022.
The revelation that the couple kept their marriage private for around four years has sparked mixed reactions online.
Koo Kyo Hwan’s agency, Namoo Actors, announced on October 1, “Actor Koo Kyo Hwan and director Lee Ok Seop have trusted and relied on each other as partners for a long time, and they became husband and wife after registering their marriage in 2022.” The agency described them as “each other’s closest colleagues and family,” adding, “We ask for your warm blessings and support for their future together.”
The two, who both attended the Seoul Institute of the Arts, first became acquainted in 2013 and eventually developed a romantic relationship. They publicly confirmed their relationship in 2020 and registered their marriage two years later. However, they did not hold a wedding ceremony or publicly disclose that they were legally married. They are also reportedly not planning to hold a wedding in the future. After the news broke, some netizens responded negatively, saying, “They made their relationship public, so I wonder why they didn’t reveal their marriage,” and “Was he pretending to be a bachelor for four years?” Others defended the couple, commenting, “When to reveal a marriage is a personal choice,” and “Quietly becoming a family after such a long relationship feels very much like them.”
It was also revealed that in 2023, a year after registering their marriage, Lee Ok Seop described her relationship with Koo Kyo Hwan as a “10-year relationship” while appearing in a piece of content. When asked when they had started dating, she replied, “We met exactly 10 years ago.” Even when director Jang Hang Jun made a remark suggesting that the couple did not appear to have plans to marry, Lee did not mention that they had already registered their marriage.
Koo Kyo Hwan and Lee Ok Seop first met through the film A Dangerous Woman and went on to collaborate on projects including Love Docu, Fly to the Sky and Maggie. They have also jointly led the production team 2X9HD, working together as both romantic partners and creative collaborators.
Sources: Naver