(Yonhap News)

Singer Jung Joon-young and T-ara’s Jiyeon on Wednesday denied news reports that they are in a relationship.

Jiyeon’s agency MBK Entertainment issued an official statement that said, “After confirming with Jiyeon we know that the two are not seeing each other.”

It admitted Jung and Jiyeon had gone on a trip to Southeast Asia with mutual friends, but said that they were only close friends.

“The possibility of their dating is less than 0.1 percent,” MBK stressed.

Jung’s agency C9 Entertainment put out a similar statement that said “They are close ‘oppa’ and ‘dongsaeng,’ but nothing more than that.”

Oppa is a Korean word used by younger woman to address an older man, while Dongsaeng refers to a younger person.

Earlier Wednesday, a local media outlet reported that Jung and Jiyeon were roughly one month into a romantic relationship.

Jung, known for his appearances on comedy shows, released his first full-length solo album in Februrary. T-ara is slated to put out a new album next month.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)