Jeon Won-ju, 87, confirms split from younger boyfriend

Jeon Won-ju, 87, has confirmed the split. She said it plainly in a video published June 18 on the YouTube channel Sunpung Seon Woo Yong-yeo: "Now being alone is comfortable." It was her clearest acknowledgment of the breakup yet.

The video followed Jeon and her close friend Seon Woo Yong-yeo, 82, as they visited a 600-pyeong plot of land in Yangsu-ri, Yangpyeong, where the two plan to eventually build a house and spend their later years together. They stopped at a cafe to talk about dating.

Last year Jeon had spoken openly about the relationship. Her boyfriend was in his 80s, five or six years her junior, and in good health. "Meeting a younger man is an energy boost," she said at the time. She would go hiking just to hold his hand. The two visited noraebang and nightclubs together.

In the same June 18 video, when asked whether she still needs a man, Jeon said she does — specifically "when sleeping." She explained: "He presses down well. You even gave birth to a child, why don't you know."

Separately, on June 2 on her own YouTube channel, Jeon mentioned actor Kim Young-chul by name. "I still like that man," she said, recalling that he "bought me food and held my hand tightly once." She was already speaking warmly about someone else before the June 18 breakup confirmation.