IU and Lee Jong Suk have called it quits after four years together, their agencies confirmed Friday, closing the book on one of Korean entertainment’s most-watched relationships.
The news came in separate statements. Lee’s agency, Ace Factory, told StarNews the breakup was true but declined to share any further details about his personal life. IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, confirmed it too, simply saying the two have decided to stay on good terms as colleagues.
Neither side explained exactly what led to the split, though Dispatch reported that the couple had simply been seeing less of each other as their schedules got busier, and eventually decided to part ways.
A friendship that turned into something more
IU and Lee Jong Suk go back further than most fans realize. They first crossed paths in 2012 while co-hosting SBS’s “Inkigayo,” and what started as a friendship slowly grew into something deeper over the next decade.
The reveal everyone remembers
Their relationship went public in a moment nobody saw coming. At the 2022 MBC Drama Awards, Lee took home the grand prize for “Big Mouth” and used his acceptance speech to thank someone he said he’d liked for a long time — without naming them. The mystery didn’t last: the couple confirmed they were dating the very next day, and from then on, they were treated as one of the industry’s biggest power couples.
Breakup rumors had actually swirled once before, back in May 2025, but a source close to the pair told OSEN at the time that they were still very much together.
What’s next for both of them
Split or not, neither star is slowing down. IU has a new album on the way and is ready to headline a solo concert at Goyang Sports Complex Main Stadium in September, on top of riding the momentum from acting hits like “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “Perfect Crown.”
Lee, meanwhile, is gearing up for the global release of Disney+’s “The Remarried Empress,” one of the platform’s most anticipated Korean drama releases.