Earlier this year, many K-pop fans were surprised to find out that Junsu of JYJ and Hani of EXID were confirmed to be in a relationship . The confirmation of their love for one another was the perfect ending for 2015 for Hani as the K-pop girl group she is a part of, EXID, had a very successful year starting out with promotions with their 2014 hit song “Up & Down” followed by the success of their 2015 extended play (EP), a mini-album titled Ah Yeah , then wrapping up with a successful single release, “Hot Pink.” The same goes for Junsu who may not have much going on given the fact that the other two members of JYJ are doing military service, but JYJ as a group were appointed honorary ambassadors for the 2015 World Water Forum.
Unfortunately for Junsu and Hani, their relationship barely lasted past the “honeymoon phase” as it is now confirmed that the two K-pop idols are now on the market. Junsu and Hani have officially broken up.
BREAKING: JYJ’s Junsu And EXID’s Hani Revealed To Have Broken Up https://t.co/OvnDshbDvN pic.twitter.com/K6X1aTrQnQ
— Soompi (@soompi) September 13, 2016
The official statement on Junsu and Hani ending their relationship was officially confirmed when both C-JeS Entertainment and Banana Culture acknowledged it. According to an article by AllKpop , Banana Culture provided the following statement on the ending of the K-pop idols’ relationship.
“It’s true that Kim Junsu and Hani broke up. We cannot confirm the specific time when they broke up. It appears as though they naturally broke up because of their busy schedules.”
News on Junsu and Hani’s breakup first started to gain traction earlier on Tuesday, September 13, when Yonhap News had an exclusive . According to an article by Soompi , the exclusive had a source that knew the situation behind Junsu and Hani’s breakup and even provided the following statement on the matter.
“There were rumors of them breaking up but they had been meeting well. However, they recently naturally drifted apart due to their individual busy schedules.”
Eventually, the exclusive would fall collectively on the K-pop community, especially those who are a part of Cassiopeia (fan base of DBSK/TVXQ in Korea, JYJ’s former K-pop group), Big East (fan base of DBSK/TVXQ in Japan), or L.E.G.O. (fan base of EXID). Overall, the opinions of the K-pop community are mixed as some are happy Junsu and Hani have officially broken up. Others who shipped the couple are sad it has come to an end. However, the more grounded K-pop fans state the personal business of Junsu and Hani are none of anybody’s business, even for K-pop fans who are Cassiopeia, Big East, and/or L.E.G.O.
Hani and Junsu part ways after a year of dating https://t.co/UqoYiIwpwk pic.twitter.com/JVT2WPjG8K
— knetizone (@knetizone) September 13, 2016
If there is one good thing to come out of Junsu and Hani’s breakup, it is the fact that it is one of the few reports on Hallyu couples breaking up this year. 2015 was actually a far worse year for Hallyu couples breaking up which included almost all the members of So Nyeo Shi Dae, better known as Girls’ Generation, ending their respective relationships resulting in Sooyoung being the only member still romantically linked to someone.
Actually, 2016 has been a great year for Hallyu pertaining to relationships. Multiple Hallyu sites, such as DramaFever , reported on Hallyu couples who set 2016 relationship goals . Most of the lists included Hwang Jung Eum and Lee Young Don, Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young, UEE and Lee Sang Yoon, Teddy and Han Ye Seul, Kim Tae Hee and Rain, Shin Min Ah and Kim Woo Bin, and many other couples.
Now that Junsu and Hani’s breakup is public news, they can concentrate on what they need to do. Junsu still needs to do his mandatory military service while Hani continues to make numerous appearances on variety shows. Hani, along with the rest of EXID, may also be working on promotions for Street even though it was released back in June 1 because it is their first full-length studio album.
[Images via C-JeS Entertainment Promotions for JYJ and Screen Capture of Clash of Kings Commercial]