Top actors Kim Woo-bin and Shin Min-a will marry on December 20 in Seoul after a decade together. Their wedding revives interest in the Korean trend of celebrities dating quietly for years before tying the knot.
Actors Kim Woo-bin, born in 1989, and Shin Min-a, born in 1984, went public with their relationship in 2015. Over the past decade, they have been praised in Korea for their low-drama romance and steady philanthropy, earning the nickname of a “model couple.”
Their agency, AM Entertainment, stated, “Kim Woo-bin and Shin Min-a promised to become lifelong partners based on the deep trust they have built over many years.” The wedding will be a private ceremony on December 20 in Seoul, attended only by family and close friends.
The announcement has drawn attention to a broader trend in Korean entertainment: celebrities who date privately for seven to 10 years before marrying, differing from the shorter high-profile Hollywood romances.
One example is singer Jung-in and musician Jo Jung-chi, who wed in 2013 after 11 years together. They skipped a traditional ceremony, with Jung-in hiking to Jirisan's peak in a veil for a mountain-top kiss that captured public imagination. The couple now has two children.
Singer Seven and actress Lee Da-hae married after eight years, announcing in March 2023 with a surge of wedding photos. They maintained privacy by rarely sharing couple photos or TV appearances. Their event featured guests like BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, Daesung, and Taeyang; 2NE1 members; and TV stars. Taeyang, Gummy, and Bada performed, while Kim Jun-ho and Jo Se-ho hosted.
Actors Yoon Sun-woo and Kim Ga-eun, who met on a 2015 KBS drama, married last month after 10 years, with no dating rumors ever surfacing. Hwang Bo-ra and Cha Hyun-woo—son of veteran actor Kim Yong-gun and brother of Ha Jung-woo—tied the knot in 2022 after a decade. Actor Namgoong Min and model Jin Ah-reum also wed in October 2022 following seven years.