Squid Game star Jung Ho-yeon and South Korean actor Lee Dong-hwi end 9-year relationship

South Korean celebrities Jung Ho-yeon, 30, and Lee Dong-hwi, 39, have called it quits after nine years. The former couple started dating in 2015 but only publicly announced their relationship in 2016.

In a statement to South Korean news agency Yonhap News on Tuesday (Nov 26), Jung's agency Saram Entertainment said that the two have "decided to remain good colleagues". Lee's agency, Company On, also confirmed the news.

Jung Ho-yeon started her career as a model and achieved global superstardom in 2021, following her role as North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok in the Netflix series Squid Game. She won numerous accolades for her role including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Drama Series in 2022.

Lee Dong-hwi, on the other hand, has appeared in numerous hit South Korean movies and TV dramas, including Reply 1988 and 2019's Extreme Job – one of the highest-grossing domestic films in South Korea.

Throughout their nine-year relationship, Jung and Lee had been openly supportive of each other – with Jung saying in a past interview: "[Lee] is happy for me as if it is his success. He often tells me, 'You're great.'"