Chef Kim Do-yoon and actress Kim Seo-yeon go public after 4 years of dating

Chef Kim Do-yoon and actress Kim Seo-yeon have been together for four years. They went public on July 30 through a Studio Slam YouTube video titled DM으로 꼬셔놓고 오빠 왜 나 태그 안해? — the first episode of the channel's 사얼빡 series.

The catalyst was small but telling. Kim Seo-yeon posted a birthday cake photo and tagged her boyfriend's account. He didn't share her story. "He tags stories of other people but not mine," she said. "I had all sorts of thoughts." The pattern had bothered her for years. "It felt like a hidden relationship, and I was sorry I couldn't confidently say 'my boyfriend.'"

Kim Do-yoon's reasoning came from a place of caution. "I was worried that if an unexpected issue or situation suddenly arose, it could harm my girlfriend." He'd brought up the concern three or four times before, only to have her raise it again — a cycle that left him frustrated.

They don't follow each other on social media. During arguments, they'd block and unblock each other so many times that mutual unfollowing felt like the simpler choice.

Kim Do-yoon appeared on Netflix's Black and White Chef in Seasons 1 and 2. Kim Seo-yeon debuted in 1999 with Whispering Corridors 2 and has since appeared in Hyena, Taejong Lee Bang-won (as Queen Jeongan), Hyosimineui Gakjadosaeng, and Channel A's Couples in Trouble in 2020.