Why K-drama fans are against Lee Seung-gi’s romance with Lee Da-in – the star of Netflix’s Vagabond woke up to a protest truck demanding he ‘make a quick decision’

Jun 3 , 2021

K-drama’s Lee Seung-gi and Lee Da-in, whose recently revealed relationship is under the microscope due to her step-father’s previous jail time and its perceived effect on his image. Photo: @actorleeseunggi, @xx__dain/Instagram

South Korea’s latest showbiz couple are under the microscope because of the impact of her stepfather’s previous imprisonment on his squeaky clean image

Seung-gi starred in the drama Gu Family Book with Lee’s sister, Yu-bi, but his character ended up with Bae Suzy’s character instead

Korean heartthrob Lee Seung-gi recently confirmed that he is dating actress Lee Da-in, the daughter of veteran actress Kyung Mi-ri. But some of his fans were not happy to hear the news.

They believe that his relationship with Da-in – whose stepfather, businessman Lee Hong-heon, was put behind bars for three years for manipulating stock prices – may tarnish his “wholesome” image. That image stems from Seung-gi being one of the few scandal-free stars, beloved of people of all generations for his wholesomeness.

Lee Da-in and Lee Seung-gi. Photo: @xx__dain, @leeseunggi.official/Instagram

To express their dissatisfaction, on May 28, fans parked a truck near Lee Seung-gi’s house in northeastern Seoul, carrying a message that read: “It is OK that you didn’t know. But now you should know. They made so many people victims.” The message then urged him to “make a quick decision” before “ruining” his 17-year career.

Lee Seung-gi’s fans expressed their dissatisfaction with the star’s relationship by sending him a message on the side of a truck. Photo: Dcinside

Rumours of a relationship surfaced on May 24, when a local media outlet reported that Seung-gi, 34, and Da-in, 28, were in a relationship after growing close through their mutual hobby, golf. Both of them later said that the report was true.

“But please refrain from speculating,” Seung-gi’s new management company, Human Made said in a statement, presumably referring to a rumour that the couple was planning to get married. This announcement was news in itself as previously there had been speculation that he had left his former agency, Hook Entertainment, intending to set up his own agency. That proved to not be the case and he has instead joined Human Made.

Da-in’s stepfather, Hong-heon, released on parole in 2014, was accused of stock price manipulation in another case in 2016. This time he was sentenced to four years in prison by a district court, but was then exonerated by an appellate court.

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