On August 3, Blackpink’s Jisoo made an incredibly rare move for a K-pop star: Her agency announced outright that she and South Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun are dating. “Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun are getting to know each other with good feelings,” Jisoo’s agency YG Entertainment shared. “We would appreciate it if you watched over them warmly.”
Bo-hyun’s agency FN Entertainment released a near identical statement, telling CNN, “The two are in a stage where they are getting to know each other slowly with good feelings. We would appreciate if you could watch the couple with a warm gaze.”
Although they may be a newly public couple, Jisoo and Ahn have yet to speak about their relationship themselves. Still, both are very famous in Korea.
Here, get to know the man who won Jisoo’s heart and what’s known about their love story so far.
Ahn Bo-hyun is a 35-year-old actor and rising K-drama star.
While Jisoo is one of the most famous K-pop stars in the world as one of Blackpink’s four singers, Ahn has found growing success in the world of acting, which he began in 2014 after modeling first. He was also a boxer, Soompi reported, before going into modeling in 2007. Ahn is 6’2.
Ahn’s K-drama credits include Netflix’s Itaewon Class (2020, which became his breakout role as the series’ antagonist), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Yumi’s Cells (2021-2022, a favorite series of Jisoo’s), and newest release See You In My 19th Life, which started airing in July. LifestyleAsia.com cited Ahn as a particular fan favorite in Yumi’s Cells and My Name (2021).
Ahn spoke to Metro.style about how thankful he is to have had his acting career take off. “I am always thankful that I have the chance to pursue acting consistently,” he said. “There were times when I injured myself or felt stressed, but I really love my job of being an actor. I think I am able to achieve where I am now because of the good people who are always around me.”
Ahn and Jisoo have spent time together at her home when she’s not on tour.
Not much is known about the couple’s private relationship. But one detail that has come out is that there is photo proof of them spending time together, obtained by Korean outlet Dispatch.
While Jisoo has been on tour for Blackpink for much of this year, Dispatch reported that she and Ahn frequently spend time at her house in Yongsan whenever when Jisoo is in South Korea, per AllKpop.
A source told Dispatch that Ahn “coordinated his schedule” so he could see Jisoo recently when she was home on break between tour stops. He was photographed arriving there in photos the site ran.
A source close to the two stars told the outlet, “There are many common interests in acting, singing, and even fashion.”
The outlet reported that when asked about their relationship, Jisoo answered similarly to her agency, saying in Korean, “I am cautious because it is in the beginning stage,” and “I have a good feeling.”
Ahn spoke about his views on love during two videos with ELLE Korea.
Ahn has spoken a little about how he sees love.
While promoting Yumi’s Cells with his co-star a year ago, Ahn answered reader questions about relationships for ELLE Korea. His responses offered a little insight on how he operates in relationships.
As a boyfriend, Ahn said that he “easily sulks, but I forgive easily as well.”
He also said that ghosting was worse than cheating when it came to breakups, although both were the worst. In the case of cheating, “I still have a chance to say [something]. Using your anger as the fuel, you could say, ‘let’s see who meets a better person.’ But we can do nothing about ghosting,” he said in Korean, per the video’s English subtitles.
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Ahn shared much more about his ideal relationship a year prior to that in his own interview with ELLE Korea. Per Kagit Korea, Ahn said in Korean (translated to English) that he was hopeful about his romantic future. “Although I’m currently passionate about work, I think if I work hard one day, I’ll meet someone really good. Don’t rush things, it will happen naturally.”
He also addressed whether his ideal partner has changed being in his 30s now. “It’s different,” he said. “When I was younger, watching the drama Hur Jun, my ideal type was Lady Ye-jin. After watching the drama Ruler of Your Own World (2002), the actress Lee Na-yeong became my ideal type. Now, my ideal type is a person who shares the same beliefs as me, someone who can laugh even though I don’t understand what ‘natural encounter pursuit’ means, someone who can send text messages carefully without being shy, and someone who can communicate well.”
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Ahn discussed how he sees justice in an April 2022 interview.
While discussing his lead role in military legal K-drama Military Prosecutor Doberman, Ahn talked about his own personal view on justice to Metro.style, which offers a little insight on his values. “Justice is alive,” he said. “Let us live with a kind heart. I think justice is always around us even though it can’t be seen. So even if you are going through some difficulties, the day when justice shines will come. Don’t be too discouraged and live on with a positive mind.”
Ahn completed his mandatory military service and reflected on the experience.
As all South Korean men must enlist in the country’s military before turning 30, Ahn completed his mandatory service and reflected on his two years there while talking to Metro.style about putting on an uniform again to shoot Military Prosecutor Doberman. “I had worn the military uniform for two years when I was serving my actual military service,” he said. “When I was discharged, I felt quite relieved that ‘I’m taking off this uniform now.’ But I had worn the uniform for three times until now including the drama. I think I have an inseparable destiny with it.”
Ahn opened up about his journey to find self-love in an interview with Singles magazine in March 2022.
Before dating Jisoo, Ahn focused on learning how to better love himself. He told Singles magazine, via Soompi, “As you go about life, there wind up being more days when you reprimand and criticize yourself than days when you fully love yourself. I think that I occasionally need time to encourage and cherish myself by saying, ‘You did a great job. You’re doing well.’”
Ahn is a Taurus who likes camping.
Ahn celebrated his birthday on May 16. When asked about how he de-stresses by Metro.style, Ahn cited camping as one of his interests: “I don’t relieve my stress in a healthy way but keep it in mind where it eventually disappears. But if I have time, I would go camping with my good friends and empty my mind through getaways.”
Jisoo, for what it’s worth, is a Capricorn, so both Ahn and Jisoo are earth signs, which are cited as an excellent romantic match by ELLE.com’s Astro Twins for their similar hard work ethic and shared “deep respect for tradition, family and long-term security.”
Jisoo is 28, so the two stars have a seven-year age difference.
Jisoo actually spoke about being a fan of Ahn’s K-drama series Yumi’s Cells.
Shortly after news of Ahn and Jisoo dating went viral, KBizoom noted that Jisoo actually spoke about Ahn’s work in an interview with Marie Claire Korea in September. She named Yumi’s Cells, which starred Ahn, as her favorite K-drama or movie of all time. “I have been a fan since the webtoon and looked forward to it when it was made into a drama. I enjoyed it until season 2,” she said in Korean, per the video’s English subtitles.
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Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.