South Korean actor Lee Do-hyun and his girlfriend Lim Ji-yeon, who starred in ENA’s hit mystery drama Lies Hidden in My Garden, have been the talk of K-town since they confirmed their relationship in 2023. From their hush-hush romance on set to sincere love declaration, the star couple’s relationship timeline is a fairytale worth revisiting.
With crackling chemistry, Lee and Lim garnered critical and public appreciation as co-stars in the Netflix revenge K-drama The Glory (2022-23).
Lee, who made his acting debut with Prison Playbook in 2017, has numerous popular K-dramas to his credit, including Still 17 (2018), Hotel del Luna (2019), Sweet Home (2020), Youth of May (2021), Melancholia (2021) and The Good Bad Mother (2023).
Meanwhile, Lim started her career in showbiz by featuring in multiple plays and short films. The actor made her big screen debut with Obsessed in 2014. This was followed by other noteworthy projects like High Society (2015), The Treacherous (2015), Rose Mansion (2022) and Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (2022).
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Timeline of Lee Do-hyun and Lim Ji-yeon’s relationship
It all started with The Glory workshops
Lee and Lim first met each other in 2022 while working on The Glory. Sources claim that the couple developed feelings for each other while attending workshops for the K-drama.
While Lim played Park Yeon-jin, Moon Dong-eun’s (Song Hye-kyo) school bully, Lee portrayed Dr Joo Yeo-jeong, the love interest of Dong-eun who helps her seek revenge against Yeon-jin. The two were at each other’s throats throughout both seasons of the show.
Considering their opposing character dynamic on screen, the real-life couple won over fans by making the enemies-to-lovers trope a reality.
“Lee Do-hyun and Lim Ji-yeon spotted together”
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The Good Bad Mother star was seen on dates with his now girlfriend Lim so frequently that “Lee Do Hyun and Lim Ji-yeon have been spotted together” became a recurring headline in various Korean news outlets. Thus, sparking dating rumours between the two.
The couple was first papped together on 15 December 2022. South Korean media house Dispatch reported their cosy date and said that the duo spent the snowy day together at Lee’s residence in Geumho District, Seoul. They also shared some moments with the snowman they had built, which ended up on top of Lee’s car.
The following day, the couple visited Gyeonggi-do’s Yongin Nature Recreation Forest and concluded their day with a coffee date.
In January 2023, Dispatch spotted Lee being escorted to Lim’s residence by her manager after his dinner with the cast and crew of The Glory.
Their last alleged date before they went public with their relationship was during South Korea’s White Day on 14 March 2023. Sources reported the couple went on a romantic chocolate date in Geumho District, Seoul.
It’s official: Lee Do-hyun and Lim Ji-yeon reveal they are dating
It was on 1 April 2023 that Dispatch (via internal sources) first confirmed Lee and Lim’s relationship. The media outlet also published various pictures from their secret rendezvous.
Following this, the couple’s agencies released individual statements making the news official.
Lim’s agency, Artist Company, confirmed Dispatch’s report the same day through an official statement which said, “Lim Ji-yeon and Lee Do-hyun have gone from being close colleagues to the stage of cautiously getting to know one another better with positive feelings. We’d be grateful if you’d look warmly upon [their relationship].”
Subsequently, Lee’s agency Yuehua Entertainment shared a similar note and said that after developing feelings for each other, the duo “are cautiously getting to know each other”.
The official couple’s famous dumpling and stew date
According to multiple sources, on 2 May 2023, lovers Lee and Lim enjoyed a dumpling and soondubu stew date in Gangneung.
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The restaurant owner later shared on his Instagram: “The Glory actors Lim Ji Yeon and Lee Do Hyun visited us. They’re a good-looking pair that’s really cool and beautiful. Lee Do Hyun’s voice was super cool, and Lim Ji Yeon’s eyes were really pretty. Today, we sold out our dumplings, so they couldn’t eat them. They only got to try our other food, but if they come again, we’ll cook them up deliciously.”
The owner also shared the autographs he received from the couple.
No romantic pet names for each other
Since the confirmation of their relationship, the two have spoken openly about each other on a few occasions on public platforms.
In a 2023 JTBC interview about his critically acclaimed show The Good Bad Mother, Lee Do-hyun fondly shared details about his equation with his girlfriend, who is five years older than him. The actor said, “Normally we talk comfortably. We don’t use any pet names.”
Is marriage on the cards?
According to a June 2023 report by SBS Star (via an anonymous news outlet), Lee shared that although his life didn’t go through much change after being in a relationship, he now has “someone to talk to and that is huge”. He added, “I used to talk with my dog, but it was a one-sided dialogue, obviously.”
On being questioned about his thoughts on marriage with his girlfriend, Lee Do-hyun shared that he didn’t think about it a lot. “There is still a lot to accomplish, and it is certainly not something I can decide on my own”, the actor said.
However, what might be a ray of hope for the couple’s fans was Lee’s thoughts on his future kids. Recalling his memories from the sets of the feel-good K-drama The Good Bad Mother, the actor said “I did wonder what my children would be like when I was working with Gi So You and Park Daon.”
(Hero and featured image: Courtesy ldh_sky/Instagram; limjjy2/Instagram)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Currently, Lim Ji-yeon is dating her 'The Glory' co-star Lee Do-hyun. She is yet to get married.
Answer: Yes. Lee has a younger brother, Im Dong-hyuk.
Answer: The main couple in 'The Glory' is Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) and Joo Yeo-jeong (Lee Do-hyun).
Answer: As of July 2023, there are no official reports of Lee Do-hyun being friends with the popular boy band BTS.
