Actor Ha Jung-woo was revealed to be dating Cha Jeong-won, an actress and influencer 11 years his junior. However, during the disclosure of this fact, Cha Jeong-won was reported as a 'non-celebrity,' an unexpected humiliation.
On the 4th, Ha Jung-woo was swept up in marriage rumors for July. Initially, reports described the fiancée as "a private person not working in the entertainment industry," and Ha Jung-woo's agency Walkhouse Company issued an official statement saying, "It is true that they are seeing each other, but marriage is not confirmed. Whether it will be in summer is also undecided."
Ha Jung-woo also told media outlets, "I want to marry my girlfriend with whom I am seeing in the summer, but nothing has been decided yet," and his father Kim Yong-gun told OSEN, "Not yet. He is not getting married," adding, "When I first received a call about the article I said, 'I don't know about this either. If it is something to congratulate, I am thankful,' but an article came out as if I had acknowledged Ha Jung-woo's marriage."
But later it was revealed that Ha Jung-woo's girlfriend is Cha Jeong-won, producing a twist. Cha Jeong-won debuted in 2012 with the film "A Tale of Two Sisters" and appeared in dramas such as "She Was Pretty," "While You Were Sleeping," "Lawless Lawyer," and "Special Labor Supervisor Jo Jang-poong."
Until recently, Cha Jeong-won had continued her acting activities, signing an exclusive contract with Saram Entertainment, making a special appearance in Player 2: The War of the Gamblers and then starring in the film "Crash," known as the late actor Song Jae-rim's final work. In addition, standing 170cm and weighing 50kg, with striking beauty and a strong sense of fashion, she is also active as a fashion and beauty influencer with about 1.03 million followers.
Despite that, she was suddenly labeled "a private person not working in the entertainment industry," suffering so-called 'humiliation.' In this process, Ha Jung-woo's agency's inadequate response was also criticized. While denying the 'July marriage' rumors, they failed to correct the report that the current girlfriend is a 'non-celebrity,' causing confusion.
Although Ha Jung-woo and Cha Jeong-won's romance was already well known within the entertainment world, Ha Jung-woo's agency asked outlets including this paper not to reveal the identity of his partner as Cha Jeong-won without special reason. It is unclear whether this was the agency's unilateral response or done with Cha Jeong-won's agreement. However, Cha Jeong-won's identity being exposed was only a matter of time.
Ultimately, Cha Jeong-won found herself in an awkward position when she should have been receiving only congratulations. Only after direct reports that the girlfriend was Cha Jeong-won did Ha Jung-woo's side acknowledge the fact, and Cha Jeong-won's agency Saram Entertainment was able to issue an official statement saying, "Actress Cha Jeong-won is currently dating actor Ha Jung-woo. However, the marriage rumors are groundless." Fans who learned the news belatedly sent wedding congratulations through Cha Jeong-won's social media.
For celebrities, recognition is a sensitive matter, so being reported as a 'private person' despite being a 14-year veteran actress would not be pleasant for the person involved. Moreover, since Cha Jeong-won and Ha Jung-woo have been a long-term couple dating for more than eight to nine years, the handling of the romance's disclosure leaves more to be desired.
Meanwhile, Ha Jung-woo, who delivered the dating news, will return to the small screen appearing in tvN's new Saturday-Sunday drama "How to Become a Building Owner in Korea," which premieres on March 14.
[photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]