Jung Eun-chae on 3 years with Kim Chung-jae: 'We always respect and support each other's work'

Still going strong, three years in

Jung Eun-chae sat down for an interview at a café in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on March 22 — three days after Jaebeol X Detective 2 ended its SBS Friday-Saturday run — and the conversation turned, inevitably, to Kim Chung-jae.

The artist and broadcaster has been publicly dating Jung Eun-chae since the couple confirmed their relationship in 2024, making this their third year of open dating. On the romance front, Jung kept it simple: "Kim Chung-jae always respects and supports each other's work, so he said he enjoyed watching this one too."

The role, and the strategy behind it

In Jaebeol X Detective 2 (written by Kim Ba-da, directed by Kim Jae-hong), Jung played Joo Hye-ra, the new Major Crimes Unit team leader introduced in season 2. She starred opposite Ahn Bo-hyun as chaebol detective Jin I-su. The drama's finale brought renewed attention to her earlier projects Anna and Your Honor, both of which were re-examined by viewers during the show's run.

"I'm so happy. These were works that felt great even during filming, and it's surprising that they're still receiving love even after time has passed."

She credited the renewed interest to the effort that goes into every production. "In any case, we work hard and put effort into making works," she said. "So I have a strong desire to have even one more person watch them."

On her recent project choices, Jung said the decision-making is deliberate. When she can see a clear opportunity to show a different side from her previous work, that clarity guides her. Across her recent projects she has intentionally picked different material and varied the genres.