South Korean actress Gong Hyo-jin and actor Lee Jin-wook confirmed that they are an item, local news outlets reported on Thursday. 

“We confirmed that the two are in a romantic relationship. They have just started dating and maintaining a good relationship. Please support them,” an official close to the stars told local newspaper Ilgan Sports. 

The couple is said to have been on a late-night casual date, enjoying what “ordinary couples” do, in a suburb of Seoul out of the public eye.

Earlier the day, a local sports and entertainment news outlet revealed a photo of the duo pictured together, raising speculation that they are a couple. The two quickly verified the news within half an hour of it going viral. 

After debuting in 1999 with the movie “Whispering Corridors,” the 34-year-old Gong has starred in several dramas such as “Sangdoo,” “Let’s Go to School,” “Pasta” and “Master’s Sun,” gaining a reputation as a fashionista. She plans to come back to the screen with the upcoming SBS-TV drama “That Winter, The Wind Blows” alongside actor Jo In-sung.  

Lee, two years Gong’s junior, debuted as a model in 2003 and later skyrocketing to stardom through “Air City,” “I Need a Romance 2,”“Nine” and other films. Lee is to star as a male lead in the forthcoming tvN drama “The Three Musketeers.”

By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)