Rumors that Kang Daniel and Jihyo of the group TWICE are a couple have been circulating the K-Pop world for months now and it looks like the two stars are officially an item. According to The Star, member of all-girl group TWICE, Park Jihyo, and singer Kang Daniel have confirmed they are dating. K-Pop, which has been historically against dating within the industry, is struggling to respond. The two stars, which have their own respective fan bases, are challenging an industry-wide aversion to dating.

Daniel, Jihyo's relationship

Kang Daniel and Jihyoare indeed already a couple.

The respective agencies of the two stars confirmed the news in a joint statement, according to Star 2. Jihyo, managed by JYP Entertainment, and Kang, managed by Konnect Entertainment, have been dating for at least seven months.

In fact, Jihyo has already been seen multiple times with Kang. She was photographed arriving at Kang’s house in Hannam-doing, central Seoul. She also attended Kang’s showcase event and solo debut performance.

Right after South Korean media revealed that he is in a relationship, Kang took to his fan café site to thank his fans. According to E! Online, he promised to keep his good image and to “take care” of his fans’ hearts.

K-Pop world struggling to react

According to Mashable India, K-Pop idols and stars have difficulty talking about their dating life.

In fact, some idol management companies explicitly command their stars to not date for the first two years of their contract.

K-Pop idols and stars like Kang and TWICE typically inspire intense admiration from their fans. For example, All K-Pop recently reported that Kang’s fans donated 10,000 copies of his record to the Korean Red Cross to encourage people to donate blood.

However, the fans’ actions are not always as positive as people hope.

Kang Daniel is one of the most successful K-Pop stars in the world. Kang just recently released his solo debut EP called “Color On Me.” It went on to rake in 466,701 copies for its first week, a record for a solo artist in K-Pop history. Before that, he was part of the boy band Wanna One.

On the other hand, Jihyo is considered the leader of Twice, which is currently on a world tour.

What are your thoughts on this K-Pop power couple? Do you think industry heavyweights will leave Kang Daniel and Jihyo be? The new couple is expected to start a new trend in the K-Pop industry where idols are no longer afraid to talk about their dating life. Shoot your comments about the K-Pop industry and the Kang Daniel-Jihyo pairing in the comments. Watch the music video for Kang’s new song “What Are You Up To?” below.

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