Actor Ji Chang-wook and former Miss Korea Kim Joo-ri have vehemently denied rumors that they are in a relationship, following escalating rumors over the past few days.

Ji's management Glorious Entertainment said Saturday, "Ji Chang-wook and Kim Joo-ri are just very close friends.

Actor Ji Chang-wook (left) and former Miss Korea Kim Joo-ri. (OSEN/PF Entertainment)

"They often hang out together with other friends or sometimes just the two of them together. They eat and drink together," said the spokesperson, adding that management had not even bothered cautioning the actor on his close friendship with the former beauty queen. It also said the two had not even met up recently.

Kim, who was crowned Miss Korea in 2009, also denied the "fabricated" and "perplexing" rumors through her management PF Entertainment.

"It seems that members of the online community edited photos of Ji Chang-wook and Kim Joo-ri together without even consulting the people in question," said a management spokesperson Saturday, slamming the rumors as "guesswork."

Ji, a popular actor, most recently starred in the popular TV drama series "Healer."

Kim, who trained under the Bolshoi Ballet company in Russia, is proficient in both Korean and Russian and launched her acting career after winning the national beauty pageant.

By Yoon Sarah (sarah356@heraldcorp.com)