This comes 12 years after he joined IOK Company, founded by Go Hyun-jung and her sibling in 2012, where they built a close professional relationship.
A source close to Jo In-sung confirmed on September 23rd, “Jo In-sung’s exclusive contract with the company will expire in the fourth quarter of this year, and both sides have confirmed that they have no intention to renew the contract.” The source added, “Jo In-sung and Go Hyun-jung agreed to work together for just 10 years, and both have fulfilled that promise. Now, they will go their separate ways while supporting each other.”
While Go Hyun-jung’s future with the agency remains unclear, there is speculation that she might stay, especially since her younger brother Go Byung-chul holds a key position in the subsidiary SBW. Despite a 10-year age gap, rumors of romance between Go Hyun-jung and Jo In-sung have persisted since they met on the set of SBS’s drama “Spring Day” in 2005, following Go Hyun-jung’s divorce.
In 2012, Jo In-sung appeared as a guest alongside Chun Jung-myung on Go Hyun-jung’s SBS talk show “Go Show”, where he famously said “Honestly, sis (Go Hyun-jung) is not my type”, which seemed to quell the rumors. However, three years later, rumors reignited when the two were photographed returning together from an airport.
Perhaps wanting to clarify things for the sake of her children, Go Hyun-jung addressed the rumors directly on the YouTube channel “Fairy Jae-hyung” in January. She explained, “In the airport photos, Song Joong-ki and Lee Min-ho were right beside us, but only the two of us were captured. Jo In-sung is a really manly and great friend, but he’s not (dating) with me.”
A close acquaintance of Go Hyun-jung commented, “Though she seems cool on the outside, she’s actually very sensitive. The rumors caused her distress, and for the past 4~5 years, she has limited personal meetings with Jo In-sung. They no longer send or receive coffee trucks and don’t attend each other’s VIP screenings. They even unfollowed each other on social media.” Research shows that their last coffee truck exchange was in 2019 during the filming of SBS’s drama “My Lawyer, Mr. Jo 2: Crime and Punishment” starring Go Hyun-jung.
Meanwhile, Jo In-sung recently appeared on the YouTube channel “Zzanbro Shin Dong-yup”, where he candidly shared his thoughts on his bachelorhood. He joked “I’ve reached the age where I should be married, but I’m not sure if it’s because I can’t or won’t. My mother even tells me to just bring home a child from somewhere”, sharing the struggles of being a 43-year-old single man. He added, “Without my fame, I wonder if younger women would even like me. The more information we have, the harder marriage becomes.”