Halfway through the year 2016, it’s time to check up on the high-profile Korean celebrities who have officially acknowledged their romantic relationships this year.

Junsu and Hani

Hani and Junsu (Herald Business)

Junsu of K-pop trio JYJ and Hani of girl group EXID confirmed their romantic relationship at the beginning of this year. Dispatch, a Korean celebrity news and rumor outlet, released in November and December of 2015 photos of the two artists dating. This led C-JeS Entertainment, Junsu’s agency, to release a press report in January stating that Junsu and Hani had been dating for six months. The two first met in the summer of 2015.

Kai and Krystal

Kai and Krystal (Herald Business)

S.M. Entertainment confirmed on April 1 that Kai of Korean and Chinese boy band EXO and Krystal of girl quintet f(x) are dating. Many fans had initially taken the announcement as an April Fool’s Day prank. Dispatch had released earlier in the day a photo of the two singers eating at a lobster restaurant in Seoul. Both had entered S.M. as singer-trainees in 2007 and known each other since. Kai and Krystal marked the second S.M. couple after Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation and Baekhyun from EXO confirmed their relationship in 2014.

Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun

Ku and Ahn (Ahn's Instagram)

Actor Ahn and actress Ku, who is mostly known for her role as Geum Jan-di in “Boys over Flowers,” tied the knot in May. The two started dating while costarring in the lead roles last year in “Blood,” a TV drama about a vampire physician and his female doctor colleague. The couple dispensed with the wedding ceremony and instead donated money to the pediatric clinic in Severance Hospital, where they had filmed “Blood.” The couple stated they had met many children while filming in the hospital and wanted to help them.

Kahi and an entrepreneur

Kahi and her husband (Kahi's Instagram)

Kahi, formerly of girl group After School, wed Yang Jun-mu, the CEO of Incase Korea, in Hawaii in March. Kahi’s agency released a statement in May announcing that Kahi was three months pregnant.

Hwang Jung-eum and a golf player

(Herald Business)

Actress and singer Hwang Jung-eum got married at Hotel Shilla in February. She wed professional golfer and businessman Lee Young-don. Hwang had dated Kim Young-jun, a vocalist from the band SG Wannabe, for nine years before they broke up in 2015.

Oh Dal-su and Chae Gook-hee

Oh and Chae (Herald Pop)

Actor Oh Dal-su also confirmed in January his relationship with actress Chae Gook-hee. The two met while filming “The Thieves,” a Korean blockbuster film released in 2012. Oh has starred in several Korean blockbuster movies, including the aforementioned “Thieves,” “Ode to My Father” (2014) and “Assassination” (2015).

By Lee Ji-hae (jihlee@heraldcorp.com)