I’ve been meaning to research this for a while, but I’ve been so busy with the telling the story of his professional life that I put this aside. I’ve had some extra time …so here is the best of what I’ve found so far.
First off… It seems our prince has not had much of a love life… of what I was able to find! He might be keeping it all very private, but even as private as it got, he’s a public figure and someone would have spot it or leaked it. So my guess he hasn’t had any long love relationship… (of a year +) (How I wish to be completely off on this point. It would be so nice for him! Can you imagine if he’s been on a 2,3 year relationship and he managed to keep it completely secret?!)
Second off… I will say that all that you’ll read here was taken from the internet. Some of it from personal interviews, so we can say these are true up to the degree of what he chose to reveal. I will quote Jung II-woo from different sources in green italics, with the link “Here” right next to them, so you can read more where they came from.
First off…what is his ideal type?
January 2012
“My theory of love, relationships, and ideal type changes every year. Right now, the beautiful and hard-working Han Ga In sunbae-nim is my ideal girl.” (this is the actress from “The Moon that Embraces the Sun”) Slightly embarrassed, Jung Il Woo added, “I lost control over this situation.” Here
March 2012
From the Drama Haven Editorial:
“My ideal type seems to be always changing. I like girl who has hearty and cool personality. Girl with appearance which looks to have good skin, and generally gives a feel of cheerfulness is my ideal type.” Here
May 2012
What kind of girls do you like?
“Of course, she must have similar interests/hobbies to me, and we must be able to converse easily, and make me feel like she is someone I can learn a lot from^^” Here
Update September 1, 2019. Found this from late 2012. I took out the part related to his “Love Values.” Cr. Snowy from Jungilwoo CNFansWorld. Thank you for translating it to English!
February 2014 (Update July 4th, 2018)
“In the early 20s, I changed a lot of my favorite characters (laughs). I want to meet a woman who can understand me well and who can do all of my wisely, who can act wisely in relationships. Now that I am not young, I have become more serious to meet reason. In fact, it seems like ‘It is not easy to meet more and more people’. I am sure that Bum or Minho who is really friendly is going to see once or twice a year. Those who are not will be hard to see.” Here (in Korean)
May 2016
“When asked about his ideal type, Jung II Woo insisted that the most important factor was how she’s been brought up, and added that he tries to look at a person’s character a lot. ” Here
September 2016
Interview by Showbiz Korea.
In a past interview, you said you prefer a sexy lady rather than a cute one, and you added that you like someone who excels using chopsticks. Explain to us! What is this? It’s too difficult.
“It means that I regard manners of great importance. So I like someone who has good manners. Yes, I used it to compare, I like wise and sensible people.”
“A woman who’s cute but also sexy!”
“Someone who I can talk well with and who I can respect, what I think these days is that I’d prefer someone who’s in a different field of work rather than someone who’s in the entertainment realm.”
Why?
“I’m well versed in the work I do, so people who are full of expertise and who are professional in an area I don’t know are amazing. So I like such people.”
Also there, he was asked, “You come out as a ‘chin-deu-re (someone who seems cold on the outside but is warm on the inside)’ in tvN‘s ‘Cinderella and Four Knights.’ When you date in real life, are you also a ‘chin-deu-re’?” and he replied,
“I’m the type who is extremely good to my woman. Honestly, these days, I’m so busy with work that I’m unable to date. I believe that a really cool man is one who can turn a woman into a real-life Cinderella.”
From the video below:
Update! May 2, 2019
In an interview for Soompi, Jung Il-woo said:
“I want [to date] if I can meet a good person. My heart is open to that.”
Asked about what kind of person he considered a “good person,” he replied, “Someone I can learn from, someone who understands me and someone that I can understand. I want both of us to be a source of comfort to one another. When I was younger, I looked at appearances and external things too, but now I think that a good person is someone whose mind and heart can connect to yours.” HERE
Second…How is he as a date?
January, 2012
Actor Jung Il Woo also felt the characteristics of the character in the drama, but he said that he won’t treat the woman he loved like Cha Chi Soo, “I am not good at the method of Cha Chi Soo’s romance that plays cat and mouse game, I am the type where once I love somebody I will give my everything. If I like somebody will only look at her advantages, will treat her wholeheartedly, and will not like Cha Chi Soo, but in actual, the type of Cha Chi Soo is more popular.” Here
While his character shows devotion to one love, Jung Il Woo surprised reporters by comparing his dating style to a nickel-silver pot. He stated, “I love like a nickel-silver pot. I tend to get passionate really fast, and I cool down [forget his ex] once we end our relationship.” Here
May, 2013
Jung Il Woo is really frank, whether he is talking about ratings, something most actors claim they don’t care about, or his dating style. He admits that he likes to say what he feels but that doesn’t mean some of his statements don’t embarrass him.
“When I am in a relationship I tend to get passionate fast, then cool down fast,” he said when asked about his dating style. “But my relationships and dating style do change every year. I wish I could take back what I said before.” Here
February 2015
“Hi, I’m a pretty nice person. I hope we can help each other and learn from each other. I’ll be very happy this way.” Here
Third…who has he dated?
I have not found any interviews where Jung II-woo has admitted dating anyone in particular. The closest he has said is that his only female friend is Sandara Park. He mentioned someone he liked in college and that his first crush was in high school. (I have to get these references…coming soon!)
The one and only female friend he has stated to have is Sandara Park (Dara) of the popular K-pop girl group 2NE1. Jung Il Woo said they have been friends for 6 years, ever since they worked on “The Return of Iljimae” together. (Sandara played a Japanese girl who fell for him.) He stressed that they are just friends, and they would give each other advice. Here
For those who fantasize about these two being together, this fan made video can help you:
I think Jung II-woo takes good care of his private life…but even he has stated various times he is working a lot so he doesn’t have time to date.
Update February 18, 2019
On this day in the program “My Little Old Boy” Episode 126, Jung Il-woo talked about his first kiss… He said he was very introverted when he was young so he had a hard time making the first move, so the girl made the move first and gave him a peck…
Fourth… when will he marry?
May, 2016
When asked about marriage plans, he revealed that many of his friends are already married with children, so he somehow feels like he’s already become an ahjussi (old man). However, he added that he had no intention to tie the knot until he reaches his 40’s, adding that there are still many people around him he feels responsible for. Here
The actor stated, “Because there is someone [in our cast] that is married, I think about it a lot. I am very envious and want to get married quickly. I hope it is someone I can easily talk to.” Here
Update! May 2, 2019
Also in that Soompi Interview he mentions marriage:
He added, “I think it’s too early for marriage, though. I’m now in my 30s and of course I could marry if I liked, but I think that for an actor, the kind of roles that are offered before and after marriage are different [so I think it’s too early for me]. People say that we might live to 100 nowadays, so I want to enjoy life more before I get married.” HERE
Well this is what I have so far… if you know anything and want to pass it on let me know!
WITAT (What I Think About This!)
Jung II-woo. When I wonder about his love life, the first thought that comes to my head is: It will be so hard for him! To fall in love and to love.
It’s interesting to see him change the traits of the woman he would like as he ages from beauty, to manners, to wisdom and sensibility. The scale is leaning to a beautiful, smart, kind, wise woman that does not work in his field. If we are talking about a successful woman, in her own career and he has to go film on location, how would that work? Maybe now that he’s on his Civic Service he can get some …experience! But when he starts to work again will it be like “Bye babe! see you in two months?!” How about kids?!!! I guess he could marry later in life say at 40? 45? and then take off time to be a husband and dad! …?
Something that adds to making it hard for him is that he has already passed the age and situations where most people meet their partners. I am referring to college and early work experiences in offices and such places. So even though he meets and sees a lot of women, they tend to idolize him… many are his fans, and these relationships rarely work. One of his best odds is falling in love with one of his co-stars. Another could be traveling and meeting someone who doesn’t know who he is. But…then that person would have to learn to deal with his fame and all I mentioned in the last paragraph.
And just how patient would Jung II-woo be as a partner? Love takes work and a certain amount of flexibility, and if you haven’t worked much at it like in his case, it will be harder. I really wonder about this. So say he and his woman argue, or say she couldn’t give him enough attention, and he is displeased about something for more than a week, will he let it pass and move on? He seems like a very highly detailed guy, and as you age, the more set you become in your ways and it’s even harder to compromise… This video shows how he cares about every detail just in himself…can you imagine the expectations he must have for a future partner? Hello… Wonder Woman where are you? Supergirl?
Wow is right! Geez! …maybe he’s just selling Noblesse Cosmetics… I hope so!
Then…this hurts…but I must mention it. He has the aneurysm. How does this affect his thoughts about the future of having a wife and kids? He must think about how this could affect those he choses to love.
Eventually he will have to make a decision, he can go for all of it and hope for the best or decide he’s better off alone. If I could give him advice, I would say: GO FOR IT JUNG II-WOO! You only have one life like this one! Those who will choose to love you now, love you knowing about your aneurysm right? So give it all and wish for the best! Take care of yourself as much as you can (which you already do!) and be thankful for everything… everyday!
Update June, 2020 I have been reading a lot of spiritual books lately… and they all seem to have one shared truth… it is that one already has everything… we are complete entities that derive from GOD… everyday, every moment… so when you truly know this (beyond believe)… you are already a good husband and a good father Ilwoo Ssi! And the rest will manifest itself if you “know it”…
…I wish you a love like that of Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’… a love that is strong enough to withstand any persuasion and survive and thrive in the end:
This to me is the sweetest kiss on screen ever… it is so full of passion and sincerity, so sweet and gentle… all that circus in the background… all the noise of life around them… and in this moment they can only hear each other’s hearts.
And…Jung II-woo once you find her, please LOVE her well! Love her for all us! Ha!…that’s a lot of love!!! (Update June 2020… because as we love… we truly love everyone else… we are all connected… )
With all my heart I wish you the very best in love Jung II-woo! And a long healthy life!
Fan 13