Actress Lee Yeon Laughs Off IU Dating Rumors: "It Was Never a Date"

Actress Lee Yeon is laughing off the dating rumors that briefly linked her to singer and actress IU, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun. The buzz started when the two were photographed together in Seoul's Seochon neighborhood, and it spread fast through overseas fan communities.

Lee spoke about the incident at a cafe in Seoul's Samcheong-dong on the 19th, ahead of the release of her new film "The Journey to Gyeongju," directed by Kim Mi-jo. The movie is a family revenge story about four mothers and daughters who set out on a mission of vengeance after eight years of waiting for their youngest, Gyeongju, who never came home from a school trip. Lee plays Dong-ju, the third daughter and a former pro wrestler.

The dating rumors began after Lee and IU, who worked together on the MBC drama "Perfect Crown", were spotted walking side by side in Seochon. Photos of the pair went viral among global fans. Some posts even claimed that their agency had officially denied the relationship.

"Our agency didn't even know about it," Lee said, breaking into laughter. "Ji-eun has so many fans overseas, so the dating sighting became a bigger issue abroad than in Korea."

Lee said the day of the photos was actually a group meetup. She was meeting IU along with Yoo Su-bin, another co-star from "Perfect Crown."

"That day, I was supposed to have a meal with Ji-eun and Yoo Su-bin," she said. "Before Su-bin arrived, the two of us got coffee at a cafe in Seochon, and someone caught our backs on camera as we were walking to the restaurant."

She added, "I knew someone was taking pictures, but I think it blew up once it got posted on an overseas site or on social media. And the story about the agency denying it, well, that wasn't our agency."

Then she joked, "A date? No way. Okay, a date between friends, sure."

Lee also shared how IU reacted to the rumors. "When our first photo shoot came out, fans said we had great chemistry and started playfully shipping us," she said. "Ji-eun told me, 'I think this is your fault.'"

She also recalled a moment at a screening for one of her independent films. "One of Ji-eun's fans came up to me and whispered in my ear, 'Are you dating Ji-eun?' I just laughed it off," she said.

"We're having fun with it," Lee added. "Fans see it as chemistry they like. But we've never played it up for that. We just hang out the way we always have. I guess some people wish it were real."

"The Journey to Gyeongju" opens on the 26th.