The admission by South Korean actors Ryu Joon-yeol and Han So-hee Saturday that they have been in a relationship since early this year has led to mixed reactions from the public, with some speculating that Ryu had met Han before breaking up with Hyeri, a popular singer-turned-actor.

Ryu and Hyeri starred in the hit 2015 TVN drama “Reply 1988” and began dating in 2017.

Han wrote on her blog on Saturday that she started dating Ryu after he had ended his relationship with Hyeri.

“The two broke up in early 2023 and the news about their parting first came out in November,” she wrote. In a separate comment, she added that she did not personally hear about the exact date of Ryu's breakup with his ex, but she guessed as much based on an article published in June 2023.

At the end of the blog post, Han also wrote that she would like to apologize to Hyeri, regarding the comments she uploaded on her Instagram story.

In the story Han uploaded earlier, she said that she’s “not a person who likes someone with a girlfriend, or allows him to like (her) while being a ‘friend,’ or become interested and give meaning to a relationship with someone with a girlfriend.” She added that she doesn’t “interfere” with other couple’s relationships, although she is a fan of the TV program “Exchange” – referring to the reality dating show where former couples live in the same house and decide whether they want to get back together or move in with new people.

“It’s very interesting for me as well,” Han also wrote, a sarcastic comment targeting Hyeri, who earlier uploaded a post on her personal social media account which said “it’s very interesting,” after the news came out that Ryu and Han were spotted together in Hawaii.

Ryu’s agency C-JeS Studio said in a statement that Ryu and Han met after he broke up with Hyeri.

“We would like to ask for your understanding once again as his personal rights have been seriously violated with unnecessary misunderstandings and speculations over the past couple of days just because we did not confirm his relationship status," the statement said. The agency also vowed to take legal action against malicious comments and insulting posts.

Meanwhile, it had been reported earlier that Ryu and Han were reviewing possible participation in director Han Jae-rim’s new project “Delusion” (direct translation), an adaptation of a famous webtoon of the same title.