Actor Lee Chang Hoon Breaks Silence on Old Dating Rumors with Song Hye Kyo After 12 Years
On the October 9 episode of *Shin Dong Yup’s Coffee Order* on tvN STORY, the cast of the legendary sitcom *Soonpoong Obstetrics & Gynecology* — including Park Young Kyu, Lee Tae Ran, Lee Chang Hoon, Kim Sung Eun (who played Midal), and Kim Sung Min (who played Uichan) — reunited to reminisce about the golden era of late 1990s Korean television.
During the show, MC Shin Dong Yup brought up one of the hottest rumors of that time — Lee Chang Hoon’s alleged romance with Song Hye Kyo. He asked directly, “You were really popular back then, and there was even a rumor that you dated Song Hye Kyo, right?”
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Lee Chang Hoon laughed and replied, “I absolutely hated that rumor back then. I even argued with a reporter over it. After I got married, my wife’s friends asked me, ‘Did you really date Song Hye Kyo?’ I had to swear it wasn’t true. But I guess the drama was just too popular, so people started making up stories.”
Lee Chang Hoon and Song Hye Kyo co-starred in *Soonpoong Obstetrics & Gynecology*, which aired on SBS in 1998. In the sitcom, he played Song Hye Kyo’s boyfriend-turned-husband, leading fans to believe their on-screen romance had turned real.
He previously clarified the rumor in the 2013 SBS talk show *Hwashin*, explaining, “At that time, I was in my 30s while Song Hye Kyo was still a high school student. But people still said we were dating.”
“My stylist was also Hye Kyo’s stylist, so people started connecting things that weren’t there. I was under a lot of pressure back then, but now when I look back, it’s kind of a funny memory,” he said.
Lee Chang Hoon added that when a drama becomes popular, even the smallest gesture can spark a scandal. “Once, I gave kimbap to both Song Hye Kyo and Heo Young Ran, but the media only mentioned Hye Kyo. She’s always been like a lovely little sister to me,” he recalled.
“There was even a time when Hye Kyo cried after breaking up with her boyfriend. I just comforted her, but people started saying I made her cry,” he laughed.
The actor shared that now, more than a decade later, he simply laughs when people bring it up again. “She’s a global star now. Let’s just take it as a funny story,” he said.
Even his wife once asked him directly about the old rumor. “I told her there was nothing between us. It all started because the show was so popular,” he explained.
During the broadcast, Lee Chang Hoon also brought along the only photo he ever took with Song Hye Kyo. The sweet, nostalgic picture prompted host Shin Dong Yup to joke, “You can tell just by looking — you two really looked like a couple!” making everyone in the studio burst into laughter.
Lee Chang Hoon married his wife, who is 16 years younger, in 2008. The couple now share a daughter together.
