Dispatch’s New Year’s couple for 2023 were IU and Lee Jong-suk, who have been friends for over a decade and have been seeing each other for a while now, according to their respective agencies who confirmed the news when it broke.
The New Year’s couple reveal is always received with mixed reactions. While some fans are overjoyed that their favorite celebrities are dating, some have also taken to social media to express their distaste for their favorite K-pop idol or actor’s choice in partner.
Since 2008, Dispatch has revealed a new couple every year except for three years: 2012, 2017, and 2020. In 2012, Dispatch was going through a hiatus and hence no news was released. In 2017, South Korea was undergoing a political scandal, so Dispatch didn’t reveal a new couple. 2020 was when Covid-19 was at its peak and hence there was no New Year’s couple reveal that year as well.
From Ivy and Kim Tae-sung to Kai and Jennie: The complete list of Dispatch’s New Year’s couples
1) Hyun Young and Kim Jong-min - 2008
With the dating news of actress Hyun Young and TV personality Kim Jong-min, Dispatch managed to gain recognition amongst netizens. Paparazzi-style pictures taken by reporters on-site showed the two enjoying a care date. The couple, however, soon broke up in 2009.
3) Ivy and Kim Tae-sung - 2009
Musical actress Ivy and composer Kim Tae-sung were Dispatch’s 2009 New Year’s couple when pictures of them enjoying a lovely date in the snow, hugging, laughing and kissing, were released on January 1st. The duo dated for three years before breaking up in 2012.
4) Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Hae-jin - 2010
Actors Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Hae-jin were spotted out eating meals together on various occasions by Dispatch. The paparazzi pictures showed them looking cozy while taking care of each other. The couple broke up the following year.
5) Lee Na-young and Daniel Henney - 2011
Heartthrob Daniel Henney was spotted with fellow The Fugitive: Plan B co-star Lee Na-young on a date by Dispatch. The couple had been rumored to be dating since September 2010. However, Lee Na-young’s agency denied the rumors and claimed the pictures were fabricated.
6) Rain and Kim Tae-hee - 2013
Dispatch’s New Year’s couple for 2013 shocked South Korea to the core when it was revealed that popular K-pop idol Rain was dating Korean national beauty Kim Tae-hee. The couple acknowledged the claims and even got married soon after. They’re one of the most cherished Korean celebrity couples.
7) Lee Seung-gi and YoonA - 2014
Dispatch was on a roll for two years in a row, shocking South Korea once again with their New Year’s couple reveal. Prominent actor and variety show personality Lee Seung-gi was spotted on a date with Nation’s girl group SNSD member YoonA.
The former had previously openly declared that the idol was his ideal type and it seemed that he finally got the chance to date her. The affair was short-lived as the couple soon parted ways in 2015 due to their busy schedules.
8) Lee Jung-jae and Im Sae-ryung - 2015
Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae and divorced chaebol queen Im Sae-ryung were revealed to be dating by Dispatch in 2015. The couple met in 2005 and hit it off right away but didn’t start dating until a decade later. They are still going strong and Sae-ryung has accompanied Jung-jae on many red carpet events both in South Korea and internationally.
8) Junsu and Hani - 2016
Former TVXQ and JYJ member Junsu was revealed to be dating EXID’s Hani in 2016. The news gained more popularity because it came right after Hani’s fancam had gone viral. Due to their busy schedules, the couple quickly broke up in September of the same year.
9) G-Dragon and Lee Joo-yeon - 2018
Dispatch revealed that BIGBANG’s G-Dragon was dating After School member Lee Joo-yeon and presented their three-day Jeju Island getaway photos as proof. The news was initially neither confirmed nor denied as YG Entertainment refused to speak on the personal lives of their artists. Lee Joo-yeon’s agency later denied the news.
10) Kai and Jennie - 2019
January of 2019 saw K-pop fans in a frenzy when the news that EXO’s Kai was dating BLACKPINK’s Jennie hit the online space. EXO was a popular boy group and Jennie has been the it-girl of the K-pop industry for a long time now.
Earlier, a dating scandal like this could be a death sentence for the careers of K-pop idols, however, that was not the case here. Unfortunately the couple’s relationship only lasted as long as Kim Kardashian’s second marriage, as the break-up announcement came the same month.
11) Hyunbin and Son Ye-jin - 2021
The couple that received the most amount of love after being announced as Dispatch’s New Year’s couple were Hyunbin and Son Ye-jin. Everybody loved their chemistry on the hit K-drama show Crash Landing On You and were secretly rooting for them to couple up in real life as well. The duo are now married and even had a boy together recently.
12) Hyomin and Hwang Ui-jo - 2022
T-ara member Hyomin was spotted dating footballer Hwang Ui-jo in Switzerland. The couple, unfortunately, broke up a few months later as the pressure of going public impacted their dating lives, with the two deciding to remain as friends.
Although this wasn’t the trend previously, more and more fans have expressed their dislike towards Dispatch’s New Year’s couple reveal tradition as it is considered to be an invasion of privacy as the pictures taken by Dispatch prove that the couple is trying their best to avoid media attention.
Some couples, such as comedian Lee Kwang-soo and actress Lee Su-bin, have even bested Dispatch by announcing their relationship before the entertainment house could, spoiling their New Year’s plans.
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