After a year and a half of dating, T-ara's Jiyeon and actor Lee Dong Gun have called it quits. For the first time since the news, Lee Dong Gun has broken his silence to comment on the breakup.
Earlier this week, a source from the industry revealed that Lee Dong Gun and Jiyeon have decided to end their relationship due to their busy schedules, Soompi reported. The split, however, was amicable and the two remain good friends.
Shortly after the reports came out, Jiyeon's and Lee Dong Gun's respective agencies issued a statement to confirm their separation. According to Jiyeon's agency, MBK Entertainment, the former couple broke up around December 2016.
Jiyeon personally opened up about the breakup during a live broadcast on Instagram on Feb. 2. The singer-actress assured fans that she's okay. However, Jiyeon reportedly shed a tear when she received negative comments about her relationship with Lee Dong Gun.
On the Feb. 4 broadcast of "Entertainment Relay," a representative from FNC Entertainment concurred with reported reason for Jiyeon and Lee Dong Gun's split. "The headlines are correct. We were told that the reason for their breakup is because they were so focused on work that they naturally drifted apart," the rep said, as quoted by allkpop.
Jiyeon and Lee Dong Gun dating news revealed that both stars met on the set of the Korean-Chinese produced film "Encounter" in June 2015. Both stars quickly became close during filming and started dating thereafter. They confirmed their relationship in July of the same year after photos of them holding hands during a date surfaced. At that time, their relationship earned a lot of interest due to their 13-year age gap.
Meanwhile, Jiyeon is reportedly staging a solo comeback this year. No specific date and concept has been confirmed as discussion is still on going. This will be Jiyeon's first comeback in three years since she released "Never Ever" in 2014.
