Rumor and romance: Song Hye-kyo's list of celebrity boyfriends

(From top) Lee Byung-hun, Hyun Bin, Jung Ji-hoon, Song Seung-heon and Gang Dong-won

By Ko Dong-hwan

Actress Song Hye-kyo and actor Song Joong-ki surprised Korean and overseas fans Wednesday with their October wedding announcement.

Few would have imagined that the stars would turn their fictional romance in last year’s Asia megahit TV drama “Descendants of the Sun” on KBS into reality.

The latest ― and biggest ― development in Korean entertainment ends Song’s series of romances involving triple-A Korean actors she worked with over more than a decade.

Her first publicly announced romance was with actor Lee Byung-hun, who has accumulated several film credits in Hollywood, including the “G.I. Joe” franchise and “The Magnificent Seven.” It was another case of fiction becoming true, as they played a couple in the 2003 Korean TV poker drama “All In” on SBS before the announcement.

Following Lee’s track was actor Hyun Bin, Song’s second official celebrity boyfriend. They also portrayed a romantic couple in the 2008 TV drama “The World That They Live In” on KBS. They broke up after Hyun began mandatory military service.

Besides the admitted romances, unconfirmed rumors have claimed that Song dated other popular actors.

Lee Chang-hoon is the earliest example. He worked with Song on the SBS TV sit-com “SoonPoong Clinic” in 1998-2000, in which she rose to stardom at the age of 17. Song Seung-heon from 2000 KBS drama “Autumn in My Heart” and Jung Ji-hoon, better known as Rain, from 2004 KBS TV drama “Full House,” also are on the romance rumor list.

Song was also rumored to have been in love with actor Gang Dong-won. They played a married couple in the 2014 film “My Brilliant Life,” and she persuaded him to date her.