The Korean stars have ended their romantic relationship.
On Tuesday, April 2, news broke that the couple had parted ways just a month after their relationship was confirmed to the public.
In response to the news articles, the respective agencies of the Korean stars issued statements affirming the reports.
C-Jes Studios, which handles Lee Jae Wook, said that the break-up happened “in order for [Lee] to focus on the project he is filming,” but added that the actor and Karina remain friends “supporting each other.”
SM Entertainment, home to Karina’s group aespa, shared a short message saying the break-up news is “true.”
This news comes a month after their relationship was first announced to the public, which also caused a stir among some fans of Karina.
As a result of that reaction, the 23-year-old K-pop star penned an apology letter, which she shared on her social media account.
“I am sincerely sorry to fans who gave me the warmest winter from the moment I debuted,” Karina wrote at one portion of the letter.
She began her career along with the rest of aespa in 2020. They debuted with the hit single ‘Black Mamba.’
aespa later went on to become one of the leading fourth generation girl groups in Korean pop music, thanks to their successive massive hits like ‘Next Level,’ ‘Savage,’ ‘Girls,’ ‘Spicy,’ and most recently, ‘Drama.’
Meanwhile, Lee Jae Wook, 25, debuted as an actor in 2018 via the TV series ‘Memories of Alhambra,’ before landing breakthrough roles in ‘Search: WWW’ and ‘Extraordinary You’ in 2019.
Recently, he starred as the lead character Jang Uk in the hit fantasy drama ‘Alchemy of Souls,’ which aired between 2022 and 2023.