On June 27th, Korean media reported that singer Chang Kiha (44 years old) and actress Yoon Ga I (26 years old) are dating. This information was later confirmed by both parties, and Chang Kiha’s management company stated that the two have been in a relationship for about two years.
According to sources, the couple first met in 2023 through Coupang Play’s SNL Korea program, where Chang Kiha was the MC and Yoon Ga I was a member of the cast. They reportedly became closer due to their shared interests in music and film.
While some fans congratulated the couple, the majority of online reactions quickly focused on the 18-year age difference between them. On the Korean online community site theqoo, a post about this relationship has attracted hundreds of comments, with many netizens expressing discomfort about the age difference.
Some commenters compared Chang Kiha to Leonardo DiCaprio, who has long been criticised worldwide for the “25-year-old curse” in his dating history. Many quickly brought up his previous public relationship with IU, who is 11 years younger than him, pointing out that the singer has twice publicly dated women much younger than him.
“Oh my god, the Korean Leonardo DiCaprio is here!” “She’s so young, she could be his daughter!” “His taste in women is questionable.” “Oh my god… if she’s 26 now, they started dating when she was even younger… that’s awful!” “So he only dates young girls?” “It totally gives off Lolita syndrome vibes!” “Everyone, Yoon Ga-I is 26, not in her early 20s; they genuinely like each other, so let’s just congratulate them!” “She’s 26, maybe she likes him too!” “But if they started dating two years ago, she was 24—wait, if there’s a 20-year age gap, that’s just really strange,” South Korean netizens commented with mixed reactions.
Chang Kiha debuted in 2003 as a member of the group Nunco Band before forming the group Kiha & The Faces in 2008. After the group disbanded in 2018, he continued his career as a solo artist. As for IU, she was unexpectedly dragged into her ex-boyfriend’s relationship. During this time, IU faced serious turmoil, being criticised for “distorting history” through the drama Perfect Crown, and suspected of being involved in the deaths of Goo Hara, Kim Sae Ron, and Jonghyun (SHINee). Her name was also mentioned as part of her ex-boyfriend Chang Kiha’s preference for younger women.
Chang Kiha was one of the most memorable public relationships of “Nation’s Little Sister” IU in the South Korean entertainment industry. The two first met in 2013 when IU appeared as a guest on a radio show hosted by Chang Kiha. Chang Kiha, born in 1982, is 11 years older than IU. After getting to know each other, they gradually developed feelings and began secretly dating around the end of 2013.
In October 2015, Dispatch released evidence of their relationship, shocking the public. IU once expressed that she had “fallen in love at first sight” and greatly admired Chang Kiha’s musical talent and sincere personality. Despite the controversy surrounding their age difference, Chang Kiha and IU remained together for about four years, until January 2017.
