Actors Park Shin-hye and Lee Jong-suk were reported to be dating Wednesday morning, but their agencies quickly denied the rumors, saying they were “just close friends.”

Park and Lee starred as the onscreen couple of hit TV drama “Pinocchio,” which ran from November to January.

Actors Park Shin-hye (left) and Lee Jong-suk (OSEN)

Park is also known for acting with Lee Min-ho in another drama series, “The Heirs,” in 2013. Lee appeared in drama series “I Can Hear Your Voice” in the same year. Both are celebrated hallyu icons with international fan bases.

A local news outlet claimed the two started a relationship after concluding “Pinocchio.“

The news outlet published photographs of the two allegedly on dates and outside each other’s homes.

Park and Lee have consistently been seen in a number of overseas locations at the same time, both for vacation and promotional schedules, since concluding their romantic drama.

The two visited Thailand, England and Hawaii, among other countries, for both joint and separate promotional engagements. They also met up regularly in Seoul, according to reports, including the Chanel cruise collection in Seoul in May.

Park’s agency said, “The two are just close friends. They are definitely not dating.” Lee’s agency said, “They are just friends and not dating” in announcements Wednesday.

Terms related to the story topped Korea’s most-used search engine, Naver, on Wednesday morning, according to live rankings.

Park and Lee, both 25, enjoyed breakthrough success as a result of “Pinocchio,” which was a drama series about two journalists who fall in love and eventually get married.

By Yoon Sarah (sarah356@heraldcorp.com)

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