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King the Land stars YoonA and Junho’s respective agencies, SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, have denied dating rumors between the two K-pop idols. The rebuttal comes after an industry representative reported to the media outlet Proof that the two idols began dating before filming King the Land.
Girls' Generations’ agency SM Entertainment stated:
“The two are just close and the dating rumors are not true.”
2PM member Junho’s agency, JYP Entertainment, made a similar statement:
“The two are close, but upon checking [with Lee Junho], the dating rumors are groundless.”
King the Land marks YoonA and Junho’s first on-screen project and collaboration as actors.
King the Land stars YoonA and Junho’s dating rumors and eventual denial incite reactions from fans
On July 3, Korean media outlet Proof reported that King the Land’s lead actors, YoonA and Junho, were in a relationship prior to the filming of the drama and agreed to star in the ongoing show because of their alleged relationship.
The publication reported:
“An industry insider revealed to PROOF that Lee Junho and Lim Yoona had been dating before filming JTBC’s weekend drama King the Land — The two are said to have chosen this drama for that reason.”
Fans of the pair were overjoyed at the prospect of YoonA and Junho being in a relationship for real. However, shortly after the news broke out, King the Land’s stars’ respective agencies admitted that the actors were close acquaintances but denied that they were romantically involved.
Fans have taken to social media to react to this news and their eventual denial of the dating rumors.
YoonA and Junho’s fans were initially shocked by JYP Entertainment’s response to the dating news. Besides stating that they are checking with the actors, JYP Entertainment added they were also genuinely surprised by the report.
Additionally, fans of YoonA and Junho have expressed their displeasure and annoyance with certain media outlets for carrying rumors of the two stars dating and being in a relationship without any substantial proof and evidence.
Fans of King the Land believe that the Korean media should have acted more responsibly, considering they have a drama on air at the moment.
The Gen 2 idols, who are part of two of the most prominent K-pop groups - Girls’ Generation and 2PM, and are said to have graduated from acquaintances to friends after having hosted year-end award shows together and performing to Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendes’ hit song Senorita at the 2021 MBC Music Festival.
King the Land’s YoonA and Junho top most buzzworthy drama and actor rankings
According to Good Data Corporation’s weekly list of K-dramas that garnered the most buzz for the week, King the Land stars Lim YoonA and Lee Junho grabbed the first two spots on the list of most buzzworthy cast members at number one and two, respectively.
Not only that, their rom-com drama, King the Land, was ranked first in the list for the most buzzworthy drama.
Additionally, according to the latest figures released by Nielsen Korea, the July 2 broadcast of the much-loved drama scored an average nationwide viewership rating of 12.0 percent, a solid jump from the previous ratings of 9.7, marking their first double-digit ratings.
King the Land airs every Saturday-Sunday at 10.30 p.m. KST on JTBC.
