Photo: Instagram
A match made in K-Pop heaven?
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jan 05, 2020
The times they are a-changin'! Some of the biggest stars in the music world, today, come to us courtesy of K-Pop, as the wildly popular BTS has long ago proven. But two of the fastest rising stars in the K-Pop world are the bands TWICE and Super Junior.
There have been rumors swirling since August 2019 that a member from each band are together. So, are Momo and Kim Heechul dating?
But Momo (of TWICE) and Kim Heechul (of Super Junior) may have finally confirmed they are romantically linked.
And it wasn't until the new year that K-Pop fans everywhere rejoiced from the news! Let's look at what we know about this new match made in K-Pop heaven.
1. Are Momo and Kim Heechul dating? The rumors initially started thanks to a talk show clip.
The rumors of Momo and Kim Heechul dating started cropping up when a clip of Momo's 2017 appearance on a Korean talk show, Knowing Brothers, appeared on the Internet.
In the clip, Momo and Kim Heechul looked "taken aback" when the host suggested the duo might be more than friends. It's this old clip that, ultimately, started the rumors of the two K-Pop superstars being more than friends.
2. Momo and Kim Heechul are more than 10 years apart.
Even though Momo and Kim Heechul are both legal adults, there's a good number of years between them. Momo is 22 years old, while Kim Heechul is 36 years old.
This led to what is known as a "senior-junior" relationship, which is sort of like a mentorship, or an apprenticeship, type of relationship between the two superstars.
3. The duo was rumored to be dating for more than two years.
Momo and Kim Heechul met back in 2017 when they appeared on a variety show together. The rumors alleged that right after this serendipitous meeting, the two K-Pop superstars started a relationship that continued on for two years — and continues to this day.
4. Kim Heechul said he'd like to get married before he turns 40.
Kim Heechul had previously expressed his desire to get married before he turned 40 (as mentioned before, he's 36 years old) — and this desire, naturally, has earned him some good-natured ribbing from his bandmates in Super Junior.
One bandmate even suggested that "getting married at 50 was too soon" for Kim Heechul, who's a bit of a heartthrob in the K-Pop world!
5. Even though TWICE is one of the biggest bands in the K-Pop world today, they aren't getting the same response in America that BTS got.
There's no question that K-Pop is quickly becoming a global phenomenon. The K-Pop supergroup BTS can be best described as a modern-day Beatles, with a fandom that puts Beatlemania to shame in its intensity and reach. (And that's a good thing, since frankly, BTS is awesome.)
But while BTS is nothing short of a game-changer, TWICE — which is just as popular as BTS in the K-Pop world — has a way to go before they reach iconic status. In fact, TWICE — who can best be described as analogous to One Direction and, more correctly, Fifth Harmony, as they were formed as a result of winning a reality show competition similar to X-Factor in Korea — "needs a little bit of work" when it comes to their live show.
TWICE is popular, but needs a little work to reach legendary status.
6. Reps for both groups originally denied that Momo and Kim Heechul were dating.
“Super Junior’s Kim Heechul and TWICE’s Momo are close friends with a senior-junior relationship. [The dating reports] are false," said a rep for Kim Heechul at the time the rumors began.
A rep for Momo echoed this sentiment, literally, to Soompi, adding, "[The dating reports] are false, and the two are just close friends with a senior-junior relationship.”
7. The pair confirmed they were dating in January 2020.
The new year brought good news for K-Pop fans. Momo and Kim Heechul are finally officially confirmed to be dating.
The two K-Pop stars are a couple, and, according to the outlet that broke this fantastic news, “The two of them are currently developing a beautiful love for each other despite their busy schedules. It’s been said that in the rough entertainment industry where many incidents occur, they are a great source of support for each other. Their relationship began as ‘close seniors and juniors’ but they are now a couple.”
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.