Lim Se-ju Breaks Silence After Six-Year Romance With Yu Seung-ho Ends

Actress Lim Se-ju confirmed on the 8th that she and Yu Seung-ho had been in a relationship for approximately six years before recently breaking up, then went a step further: she asked the public not to define her by it. The disclosure is notable partly because of what surrounded it. For Yu Seung-ho, who debuted as a child actor in 2000 and has worked consistently in Korean film and television for 26 years, this was the first time a romantic relationship had ever entered public discussion.

The two met on the set of the tvN drama Memorist, which aired in March 2020, where they played characters Dong Baek and Lee Seul-bi. They kept the relationship private, sharing it only with close acquaintances. According to details that emerged alongside the initial reports, the couple spent time together in everyday settings around Seoul's Mapo district and Paju in Gyeonggi Province. The relationship reportedly began unraveling about a month before the story broke, with more frequent arguments leading to the separation.

Both agencies confirmed the split within hours of the relationship becoming public. Lim Se-ju's agency Moving Pictures Company stated that the two had indeed been together for six years but had recently broken up. Yu Seung-ho's agency 333 Entertainment added that the two remain on good terms as colleagues.

What Lim Se-ju said

Lim Se-ju spoke directly about the experience in a statement, describing her discomfort at having her private life become news before her professional work had a chance to do so. "I am a newcomer, an actress who has not yet made her name through projects," she said. "I feel cautious and apologetic that the public came to know me through my personal life first."

She went on to ask that audiences evaluate her independently of the relationship. "I worry that people will remember me for my private life rather than my work," she said. "What I would like to ask of the public is this: please see me as an actress in my own right, and judge me by my acting." She added that she would work to earn that by bringing a range of characters to audiences going forward, and asked for support for both herself and Yu Seung-ho as they continue developing as actors.

The timing carried an unintentional edge. The news broke during the run of Yu Seung-ho's first photography exhibition, Blue Hour, currently on display at Layer 7 in Yongsan, Seoul.

Career context

Yu Seung-ho's career spans more than two decades. He debuted in the 2000 MBC drama Gasigogi and became widely recognized through the 2002 film The Way Home. His television credits include The King and I, Legend of the Patriots, Queen Seondeok, God of Study, and more recently Monarch: Master of the Mask and Revenge Has Come. He made a special appearance in the SBS drama Chaebol X Detective Season 2.

Lim Se-ju is two years his senior. She began her career in 2011 as a singer under the name Haeo-ra before moving into acting in 2014. Her drama credits include She Was Pretty, My Golden Life, Zombie Detective, Maestro, Murderer in a Difficult Situation, and Riding Life. She has not yet had a lead role large enough to anchor her public profile on its own terms, which is precisely the context that makes her statement worth taking seriously. In an industry where personal news can outrun professional reputation, asking to be judged by the work is a harder ask than it sounds.