Actor Lee Jung-jae and Daesang Group heiress Lim Se-ryong are officially dating. Lim is the eldest daughter of Daesang Group chairman Lim Chang-wook and is also the second-largest shareholder of the group.
Lim married Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong in 1998, but the two divorced in 2009. They have a son and daughter.
C-JeS Entertainment, which represents the actor, in a statement Thursday claimed it "hasn't been long" that Lee and Lim "started seeing each other as more than friends."
The two met in 2005 through a mutual friend. Rumors of their relationship surfaced as long ago as 2010 when they traveled to the Philippines together. In early 2012, there were rumors that they were about to get married, but they denied it.
They only admitted their relationship after entertainment website Dispatch showed photos of them in an amorous pose.
The couple have denied rumors that Lim bailed out Lee when he was experiencing financial distress. The rumor goes that Lim put Lee in touch with a tycoon who wrote off W10 billion of the actor's debts in 2009 (US$1=W1,090).
