Yoo Jae Suk believes his friendship with Song Joong Ki has changed ever since the latter got remarried, and it has since been awkward reaching out to him. In the latest episode of his YouTube talk show Pinggyego, Yoo hosted singer Lee Hyori as a guest. Together, they discussed a lot of things, including Lee’s dream collaborations and new shows, but when the singer mentioned the Vincenzo star, the conversation took a personal turn. Meanwhile, Song has been less active in the industry lately, with fewer TV shows and projects. His upcoming K-drama My Youth is scheduled for a 2025 release.
Contacting Song Joong Ki has been ‘awkward’ after his marriage
In the show, Lee Hyori shared that she got close to Song Joong Ki during their time working together on Running Man and said that he even appeared on her husband Lee Sang Soon’s radio show recently, adding, “He’s very kind and friendly.” Yoo then joked, “Why hasn’t he come on Pinggyego yet?” and turned to the camera to tease Song Joong Ki: “Joong Ki, did you hear that? Hyori-noona is calling you out.” But then the host revealed that their friendship has become distant lately. “We used to contact each other from time to time, but after his marriage and everything, it feels a bit awkward to contact him now,” he said.
To which Hyori responded, calming the tone, “I also couldn’t do programs with Yoo Jae-suk after getting married, and I haven’t been able to contact him often either.” But Yoo then explained that with Joong Ki now married and raising two kids, he feels hesitant to bother him. “His life has changed completely,” he added. The host said he didn’t want to interrupt his busy schedule either.
Later in the episode, Lee Hyori opened up about wanting to get in touch with artists she respects a lot. She said she’s been messaging people on Instagram because she doesn’t have their phone numbers, and one of those people is BIGBANG member G-Dragon. “I messaged G-Dragon and suggested we meet, but it hasn’t happened yet. He replied and said he was interested in doing something together for this album,” Hyori said, hinting at a possible collaboration. Hyori added that she feels they have something in common and said, “He talked about how, even after achieving fame and money, he still feels empty sometimes. I could relate to that. I have a great husband, but that emptiness doesn’t have a clear reason.” Yoo Jae Suk responded proudly, “You did all that without even knowing him personally? That’s impressive.”
As for Song Joong Ki, he confirmed his relationship with Katy Louise Saunders in late 2022. The announcement itself was no less than a shock to fans and the industry, as the actor revealed they had already registered their marriage and were expecting their first child. Upon returning to South Korea, he was instantly met with backlash and which emerged from rumours and public scrutiny surrounding the time he was married to his Descendants of the Sun co-star Song Hye Kyo. There were also baseless claims about his wife Katy being a single mother before their marriage. Song Joong Ki publicly expressed his anger and frustration over these “unbelievable” and “ridiculous” rumours. Their first child was born in June 2023, and the second in November 2024. The family currently lives in Italy. Katy herself is an actor with British and Colombian roots and grew up in Italy.
