TV 'love couples' excite fans

Gary, right, and Song Ji-hyo in a scene from SBS's "Running Man"

Can on-air flirtations bloom into actual romance? Three pairs of stars, appearing in respective TV shows, are fanning audience interest with their small screen chemistry.

In SBS’s “Running Man,” rapper Gary and actress Song Ji-hyo have playfully been dubbed a “couple” since the program was launched in 2010. In the show, where entertainers and guest stars run around in an urban environment in a game of “catch-me-if-you-can” style, the two have frequently been seen in loving situations. The show’s stars tease the pair by referring to them as a “Monday couple” because they act like a couple every Monday when the weekly program is filmed.

An online photo showed Song sitting on Kang’s lap and hugging him amid the program’s cast and staff posing for a group photo.

But appearing on SBS talk show “Healing Camp,” the two denied rumors and said that they were only “colleagues.”

Kang Susie, right, and Kim Gook-jin in a scene from SBS's "Fiery Youth"

SBS’s “Fiery Youth,” features singer Kang Susie and comedian Kim Gook-jin.

The former mega stars from the 1990s having a fling on the show have excited fans in their 40s and 50s who grew up watching them on TV.

Both divorced, the stars won the “Best Couple Award” at the 2015 SBS Entertainment Awards in December. In their award speech, Kang asked Kim to go out together, spiking public interest in whether they will start dating outside the show.

Kim Sook, right, and Yoon Jung-soo in a scene from JTBC's "With You"

Comedians Kim Sook and Yoon Jung-soo are a couple in JTBC’s “With You.”

In the virtual marriage program, the funny pair have been developing a fling, as they seemingly act nonchalant but in the end prove attractive to one another.

They even made a public promise on TV that “if the program’s TV rating tops 7 percent, we will get married for real.”

Appearing as a guest on an MBC radio show on Wednesday, Yoon said he “sometimes felt Kim was more than just a co-worker on the show.”