Beloved Actress Sets The Record Straight On Her First-Ever Dating Rumor With A Man 19 Years Older Than Her

Actress Park Bo Young is finally setting the record straight about the story behind her very first dating rumor…

…and how a simple outing spiraled into headlines involving a co-star nearly two decades older than her.

Appearing in a recent YouTube video alongside actors Kim Hee Won and Lee Kwang Soo, Park Bo Young revisited the 2020 rumor that linked her romantically to Kim Hee Won, who is 19 years her senior.

Café Owner Reveals How the Dating Rumor Between Park Bo Young and Kim Hee Won Started

According to the actress, the situation was far more mundane than it appeared. The two had traveled outside of Seoul to visit a director they had previously worked with, sharing a meal and catching up. What was meant to be a casual group outing quickly turned into something else entirely after photos surfaced showing only the two of them.

A director we worked with on Collective Invention was staying outside of Seoul, so Hee Won suggested we go visit him, have a meal, and catch up. Lee Kwang Soo was originally supposed to come too but couldn’t make it. We ate crab and spent time together, but it was reported as if it were just the two of us on a date.

— Park Bo Young

At first, Park said she brushed off the rumors when they began circulating online. But things escalated once media coverage picked it up, especially when the speculation began reaching her family.

At first, it was just something that popped up on social media. A friend sent it to me and I laughed it off. Then articles started coming out. My dad started getting a lot of calls—people saying, ‘Bo Young’s boyfriend is too old.’

— Park Bo Young

Complicating matters further, Park Bo Young had no agency at the time to manage the situation. With no official channel to respond through, she ultimately took matters into her own hands, posting directly to her fan café to clarify that the two were simply close colleagues and friends.

Looking back, Park Bo Young said the aftermath affected their friendship more than the rumor itself. Out of guilt, Kim Hee Won reportedly avoided contacting her for nearly a year, something she later confronted him about. After navigating through the sticky situation together (and then apart), the two went back to being besties!

We were really close, but because of that, he stopped contacting me for a year. I got upset and asked him if that was the reason. He said he was sorry and felt bad. I told him I was more upset that our friendship could be shaken like that. We’re still close now.

— Park Bo Young

Read more about Kim Hee Won’s reaction to the dating rumor here:

Kim Hee Won Explains Why His Dating Scandal With Park Bo Young Didn’t Faze Him In The Slightest