Kim Jung-eun recalls crying on stage after Lee Seo-jin breakup, says she never wanted to speak publicly

Kim Jung-eun opened up about her 2008 breakup with Lee Seo-jin in a video uploaded September 20 to the YouTube channel 혜영이는 못말려. She sat down with close friend Lee Hye-young for what the title billed as "spicy gossip and memory talk."

The relationship, and how it ended

Kim Jung-eun and Lee Seo-jin began dating after co-starring in the 2006 SBS drama 연인 (Lovers). Over roughly two years, the couple faced repeated marriage rumors before splitting in November 2008. After the breakup, Kim Jung-eun took the stage on her own SBS music program 김정은의 초콜릿 — which ran from 2008 to 2011 — and broke down in tears while addressing the situation publicly. Lee Seo-jin, by contrast, left for Hong Kong without issuing any official statement.

An associate of Lee Seo-jin's said he privately questioned whether he could continue in the industry at all. "Can I continue my entertainment career after breaking up?" he reportedly said, adding that "a situation may come where I need to think about retirement." The same associate pushed back on circulating rumors: "A matter between a man and woman cannot be known by anyone other than the two people involved." Lee Seo-jin returned to acting approximately nine months later through the MBC drama 혼, which aired in August 2009.

"I did not want to mention it"

In the video, Kim Jung-eun was candid about how she felt pressured into going public. "I did not want to mention it," she said, visibly flustered. Reporters were waiting in large numbers outside the 초콜릿 venue. Staying silent felt impossible. "If I didn't clarify my position, it would have been troublesome."

She added, with evident regret: "Actually it didn't make sense. I could have run away or not said anything."

Lee Hye-young offered some perspective. "In the old days, it was an era where people thought something would happen if you didn't clarify your position," she said, before reassuring her friend: "Everyone breaks up with their lovers. Breaking up, meeting other people, and loving is life. We are just talking about one of those memories."

(The contrast between Kim Jung-eun's tearful on-stage moment and Lee Seo-jin quietly boarding a flight to Hong Kong has apparently lived rent-free for nearly 18 years.)