Although the K-pop industry is notoriously secretive about romance, many of the verified partnerships often feature an idol dating a fellow musician or TV personality. While it is uncommon for a Korean idol to date someone from outside the entertainment industry, it does happen. A few celebrities have dated athletes, and some have even married them!

Check out these 4 K-Pop idols who dates or have dated sports super stars!

1. T-Ara's Soyeon and football player Cho Yu Min

T-Ara's Soyeon, 34, astonished fans on January 18 when she announced through Instagram that she would be marrying her football player lover, Cho Yu-min, 25, on that day. Before the announcement, the pair had never made their relationship public.

On the same day, Soyeon's management agency, Think Entertainment, released a statement revealing that the couple planned to marry in November, after Cho finishes his season with Suwon FC.

"I decided to spend the rest of my life with someone I'm grateful to who always supports and believes in the artist Soyeon and the person Park So-yeon, who cheers me on so that I can take on challenges without giving up when I'm tired, and who makes a sincere effort towards my beloved parents," Soyeon wrote in her Instagram post.

2. Girls' Generation's Yuri and baseball star Oh Seung Hwan

Dispatch published photos of Yuri from Girls' Generation and Oh Seung-hwan, a pitcher for the Hanshin Tigers at the time, in April 2015. The photographs showed the couple out on a date, with Oh even giving Yuri a shopping bag full of goods.

Soon after, Yuri's agency at the time, SM Entertainment, announced that the couple had been dating for five months. "We met at a gathering of acquaintances in 2014," according to the report.

Unfortunately, due to their competing hectic schedules, the couple called it quits in October 2015.

3. Girl's Day's Minah and football player Son Heung Min

Minah of Girl's Day was spotted on dates with Premier League footballer Son Heung-min in July 2014, according to Korean news outlet The Fact.

Minah was photographed with a bunch of flowers at both Gangnam Station and Han River Park. After initially denying it, Girl's Day's management business DreamT finally confirmed that the two were dating.

Son's busy schedule playing for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and Minah's own interests with Girl's Day caused the couple to break up after only a few months. According to Koreaboo, they only met in person twice throughout their entire relationship.

Since then, Son has been romantically linked to Blackpink's Jisoo.

4. Wonder Girls' Hyerim and taekwondo star Shin Min Chul

Hyerim, a Wonder Girl member, dated taekwondo star Shin Min-chul for seven years before revealing their relationship on the reality show Don't Be Jealous. They explained how they met: Shin's taekwondo coach and Hyerim's father, who is also a taekwondo practitioner, had dinner arrangements and invited Shin and Hyerim to join them.

Only a few months after becoming public, the couple married in a private ceremony in July 2020. Hyerim and Shin revealed that they are expecting their first child in October 2021.