There are times when you stop watching a video on YouTube about your favorite celebrity because an unexpected name comes up. Such a scene occurred in a video on Hwang Jung-eum's personal channel as well. With the name of her ex-boyfriend Kim Yong-jun being mentioned directly, their relationship after their breakup and their current lives separately are once again becoming a hot topic.
Given that the two dated for a long nine years and even appeared together on a public dating show, this single remark has sparked quite a bit of curiosity. Let's first examine precisely whether it hints at a reconciliation or is simply a reminiscing about the past.
What exactly did Hwang Jung-eum mean by her remarks mentioning Kim Yong-jun?
There are cases where this remark is misunderstood as having a nuance of hoping for a reunion, but that is not actually the meaning. Hwang Jung-eum mentioned Kim Yong-jun's name while answering fans' questions in a YouTube Q&A video titled 'A Day of Being Barbed with Questions by Goldens,' released on October 21.
The key point is that the expression "I miss you" was not a confession of a desire to meet again. It was closer to an expression of joy and regret, mentioning the fact that they had not crossed paths even once since breaking up. It was also mentioned that they are on good terms and would greet each other warmly if they met on the street.
When did the two meet and when did they break up?
They dated for 9 years, starting a public relationship in the fall of 2006 and breaking up in 2015. As of this year (2026), it is the 11th year since the breakup.
As their public relationship lasted a long time, they were a couple who remained in the public's memory for a long time. The two also garnered even more attention when they appeared as a real-life couple on MBC's "We Got Married" in 2009.
Hwang Jung-eum's marriage, divorce, and current views on marriage
Hwang Jung-eum married Lee Young-don, a businessman and former professional golfer, in 2016 after breaking up with Kim Yong-jun. She gave birth to two sons, Wang-sik and Kang-sik, but news of their separation was reported in 2024.
In this YouTube video, Hwang Jung-eum declared that she is currently a non-marriage advocate. Her stance is that while cohabitation is acceptable, she no longer desires legal marriage—that is, marriage itself.
However, it is difficult to conclude that she completely regrets the marriage. While she stated that if she could turn back time, she would want to go back to 2015, before her marriage, she added that if that choice came at the condition of not being able to meet her two sons, she would choose Wang-sik and Gang-sik just as she does now. It is necessary to distinguish between thoughts on the institution of marriage and feelings for children as issues of different dimensions.
How has Kim Yong-jun been doing since the breakup?
There was a misunderstanding that Kim Yong-jun had divorced that spread for a while, but this is not true. He appeared on SBS’s ‘Dolsing 4 Men” in February 2025 and personally clarified that he had never been married.
On the same broadcast, Kim Yong-jun stated that he would never engage in a public relationship again. His intention was that he preferred to keep future relationships private, as the image of his public relationship with Hwang Jung-eum remained so strongly in people's minds.
Immediately after their breakup in 2015, he even mentioned Hwang Jung-eum on the radio program 'Radio Star,' saying she was a hard-working friend and that he hoped she would do well. At the time, when asked by Lee Sang-min if he could remain friends with an ex-lover, he replied that although he didn't have anyone like that right now, he thought it would be possible if the situation allowed, showing that he was open to the idea.
The two people's attitudes strangely overlap in terms of timing.
There is one thing in common. Both Hwang Jung-eum's recent remarks and Kim Yong-jun's remarks in February 2025 convey the stance that one can remain friends with a former lover. In a sense, they expressed similar thoughts with a time difference of about a year and a half.
However, after their breakup, their paths diverged. Hwang Jung-eum has gone through marriage and divorce and has now declared herself a non-marriage advocate, while Kim Yong-jun has decided to remain unmarried and no longer engage in public relationships. It appears that rather than completely erasing the past, both of them are keeping those days as "good memories" in their own ways.
In summary
The questions surrounding this statement ultimately boil down to one thing: the fact that the two people, who spent nine years together, are now living their lives in their respective places while respecting each other's lives.
Hwang Jung-eum’s words, “I miss you,” were not a signal of a reunion, but rather a quiet regret stemming from not having crossed paths even once in 11 years. If the two were to run into each other on the street again, it would seem more natural to see them greet each other as friends who shared good memories, rather than as former lovers.
Q&A
Q1. Does Hwang Jung-eum’s remark about wanting to see Kim Yong-jun imply a reconciliation?
That is not the case. It is closer to a remark expressing regret and joy at the fact that they haven't run into each other even once since breaking up.
Q2. How long did Hwang Jung-eum and Kim Yong-jun date?
We started a public relationship in the fall of 2006 and broke up in 2015, dating for 9 years. As of 2026, it will be the 11th year since the breakup.
Q3. Is Hwang Jung-eum currently married?
Hwang Jung-eum married Lee Young-don in 2016 and had two sons, but news of their separation was reported in 2024. She has currently declared that she will remain single.
Q4. Has Kim Yong-jun ever been divorced?
No. Kim Yong-jun has never been married, and he personally clarified this during his appearance on 'Dolsing 4 Men' in February 2025.
Q5. Have the two of you ever appeared on 'We Got Married'?
Yes. The two appeared as a real-life couple on MBC's "We Got Married" in 2009.