Han So-Hee, a South Korean actress, is now receiving widespread criticism for her handling of a relationship with her boyfriend, Ryu Jun-Yeol.

So-Hee, known for her appearances in K-dramas such as Nevertheless and Gyeongseong Monster, is currently dating Reply 1988 star Jun-Yeol. The latter recently ended a seven-year engagement with his drama co-star, Lee Hye-Ri, a fellow South Korean actress. 

On March 15, 2024, So-Hee and Jun-Yeol were seen vacationing together in Hawaii. They were spotting together at a hotel swimming pool, and netizens soon speculated that the duo were dating.

The rumor spread like wildfire, and Jun-Yeol’s agency, C-JeS Studios, responded with a statement saying, “It’s true that Ryu Jun Yeol is staying in Hawaii for photography work. We ask that you respect the fact that it’s the actor’s personal vacation.” So-Hee’s agency also denied the rumors and said, “[Han So Hee] went on a vacation to Hawaii with close friends.”

This led many to speculate that maybe the duo are together because they are currently in talks to star in Han Jae-Rim’s adaptation of the webtoon Delusion.

Shortly after that, Hye-Ri posted a mysterious message on Instagram Stories, which some suspected was about the news. She tweeted a snapshot of a Hawaii with the caption, “This is funny.”

So-Hee then posted a photo of a dog holding a knife and wrote, “Explain this situation… I don’t like people who have a significant other, I don’t lead them on while saying we’re just friends, I don’t take an interest in them, I don’t develop a relationship with them, and I don’t get in the way of other people’s relationships. I like the program ‘EXchange,’ but there’s nothing like that in my life.” 

She seemed to be responding to Hye-Ri’s post and she added,  “I also find this funny.

Soon, she came under fire for harshly responding to Hye-Ri. Netizens noted that So-Hee should not have responded harshly to Hye-Ri when the latter had not even mentioned So-Hee or Jun-Yeol.

Meanwhile, several pointed out that So-Hee uploaded a photo of herself visiting Jun-Yeol’s photo exhibition in November 2023, around the same time that his separation from Hyeri was publicized.

On March 16, 2024, just one day after her agency refuted reports of their relationship, So-Hee stated in a long blog post that she was dating Jun-Yeol. In her statement, So-Hee said that she and her current boyfriend met after his six-year relationship with Hye-Ri had ended.

She also said that Hye-Ri and Jun-Yeol broke up in early 2023, months before their split was officially reported in November 2023. However, many questioned this particular assertion concerning the time of Hye-Ri and Jun-Yeol’s separation, citing evidence that suggested the couple may still have been dating in the latter half of 2023.

Although she did not specifically identify her, So-Hee indicated that she would apologize to Hye-Ri for her now-deleted Instagram story, stating that she had created the post after she “temporarily lost all reason and behaved rudely.”

Later in the day, So-Hee personally responded to numerous comments on her blog post, including one that chastised her for publicly claiming the date of her boyfriend’s split.

She responded, “[What I said about] the timing of their breakup wasn’t something I heard personally [from Jun-Yeol]. I wrote that based on an article from June of last year, but if it was out of line, I’ll delete it. I was trying to prove that we didn’t get together while he was still dating [Hye-Ri], but I think this was rude as well.”

However, this claim drew criticism since, according to various news sources, there were no stories published in June concerning reports of a separation between Hye-Ri and Jun-Yeol.

In another response to a different comment, So-Hee wrote, “Rather than getting swept up in [what other people are saying], I am very much at fault in this incident. Starting with my Instagram story, I think I made a small matter snowball into something big.”

At the time of writing, netizens were still mad at So-Hee and how she behaved. Many have asked Jun-Yeol, the common denominator, to speak up about his breakup with Hye-Ri and his relationship with So-Hee, mostly to clarify whether he cheated on Hye-Ri or not.

However, the actor has remained mum on this matter. His agency, on the other hand, admitted that he was dating So-Hee.

They said, “Ryu Jun Yeol and Han So Hee confirmed their positive feelings for one another and have been dating since the beginning of this year. Ryu Jun Yeol got to know Han So Hee after his breakup, and they recently confirmed their feelings [for each other].”

They claimed that because they did not admit the relationship rumor, “unnecessary misunderstandings and groundless speculation” had been created. They claimed that they would protect the rights of their actor and would take legal action against “malicious slander and insulting posts about our actor.”