Amidst Divorce Rumors, Jiyeon Shares Proof of Birthday Party with Hwang Jae-gyun “No Problems Between the Couple”

T-ara’s Jiyeon and baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun have been caught up in divorce rumors due to a single comment, with netizens supporting the speculation by noting that Jiyeon did not spend her birthday with Hwang Jae-gyun

However, Jiyeon has already shared proof of their birthday celebration through YouTube. A close associate also confirmed that “there is no problem between Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun”.

Looking at Jiyeon’s YouTube channel, she posted “Tomorrow is my birthday. I always think I should spend every day joyfully like it’s my birthday, but I can’t help but get excited as it approaches. Although we couldn’t do an escape room, it reminded me of the proposal day” along with a 16-minute video.

In the video, Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun visit a restaurant filled with memories of their proposal and have a romantic meal, celebrating her birthday together. In front of the cake, Jiyeon asks Hwang Jae-gyun to sing her a birthday song, and he sincerely sings, “Happy birthday to my beloved wife.” Afterward, they return home and play Tekken together, showing a sweet and loving relationship like any other newlyweds.

On June 26th, a close associate of Jiyeon firmly denied the recent divorce rumors during a call with Ten Asia, saying, “After checking with her, the divorce is not true. There is no problem between the couple, as some may worry.”

The associate also shared Jiyeon’s reaction to the situation, saying, “Jiyeon sees it as a misunderstanding and feels a bit burdened by the idea of officially responding. Since it’s not true, she thinks it will pass.”

The divorce rumors between Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun began to spread on June 25th through an online community, following a claim by commentator Lee Gwang-gil on KNN’s radio broadcast. During a game broadcast between the Lotte Giants and Kia Tigers, Lee Gwang-gil mentioned their divorce.

Lee Gwang-gil said “Did you know that Hwang Jae-gyun is divorced? I heard it from the director”, implying that Hwang Jae-gyun’s recent poor performance was due to the divorce. Although the conversation occurred during a commercial break and was not broadcast, it was captured on the YouTube live radio stream, leading to widespread rumors due to the credibility of the source.

Lee Gwang-gil later acknowledged his mistake and apologized, “I heard about Hwang Jae-gyun and Jiyeon’s divorce from a newspaper and mentioned it during the broadcast without proper verification. It was my fault for speaking without confirmation.” He also stated that he contacted Hwang Jae-gyun directly to clear up the misunderstanding and apologize.

Despite the clarifications and apology, the divorce rumors persisted. Factors such as Jiyeon pausing her YouTube channel activities, the absence of Hwang Jae-gyun in her publicly shared birthday party and her recent SNS photos showing her without a wedding ring on her left hand contributed to the ongoing speculation.

Jiyeon and Hwang Jae-gyun got married in December 2022. They have since shared glimpses of their sweet newlywed life through their YouTube channel, drawing attention.