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With Song Joong-ki’s confirmation of being in a relationship, Korean netizens noticed a hypocritical pattern with how the country outlets published the actor’s news in comparison with Song Hye-kyo’s dating rumors in the past.
An anonymous user posted screenshots of the two contrasting news on Nate, a popular South Korean online forum with the title “It’s ridiculous to insult Song Hye-kyo” on December 26. The post has already garnered 162k views and over 950 comments at the time of writing this article.
One screenshot was of a news outlet covering the Vincenzo star’s relationship news positively, calling his girlfriend “beautiful” in the headline. It read:
“Song Joong-ki, dating a beautiful British woman… “Continuing our good relationship”
Another screenshot, reporting on the Encounter actress’ dating rumor, showed the stark contrast as it read:
“Was Song Joong-ki not enough?” Song Hye-kyo reaching her 40s, embroiled in another relationship rumor"
One Twitter user quote-retweeted the article and reversed the names. It read:
“Was Song Hye-kyo not enough?" Song Joong-ki, embroiled in another relationship rumor”
Netizens talk about the difference in Korean outlets reporting Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s dating news
Actors Song Joong-ki (Vincenzo, Reborn Rich) and Song Hye-kyo (Encounter, Full House) were once known as Korea’s A-list “SongSong” couple, who got divorced in July 2019. They tied the knot in October 2017, a year after their drama Descendants of the Sun aired.
The couple’s divorce was explosive news in the entertainment industry and as a result, the duo have often popped up in dating rumors with others throughout the year.
A recent Nate post aimed to show people how the Korean media outlets were reporting the actor’s newly confirmed relationship and the actress’ recent dating rumors.
The poster also drew comparisons and shared that the Reborn Rich actor dating a foreigner is receiving a positive response, but if the tables were turned, women would receive hate and s*xual comments.
The post resonated with 970 people, who reacted with a thumbs up on the article. Korean netizens made several comments under the post on how the reporting standards were different for male and female celebrities.
They mentioned that no matter if the female is an idol or an actress, they usually suffer a bigger blow than their male counterparts.
Song Joong-ki goes public with his non-celebrity girlfriend
On December 26, reports of the Reborn Rich actor dating a non-celebrity British woman took over the entertainment industry.
His agency soon confirmed the news, stating that he “is currently seeing a woman with positive feelings.” Initial reports revealed that the actor’s partner had accompanied him on various public schedules.
Netizens began spreading news, alleging that the Vincenzo actor’s girlfriend was pregnant. As the news spread further, the agency commented:
“We ask for your understanding in regards to the fact that we cannot confirm any information aside from the fact that they are dating, and we would be grateful if you refrained from publishing any speculative or unconfirmed reports.”
Meanwhile, Song Hye-kyo is all set to return to the small screen with revenge-thriller The Glory. Song Joong-ki, on the other hand, recently wrapped up Reborn Rich, a chaebol drama that has become the best viewed miniseries of 2022.
