IU and Lee Jong-suk have broken up after about four years together, but the official reason for the split has not been disclosed. The IU Lee Jong-suk breakup was confirmed on July 10, 2026, by IU’s agency EDAM Entertainment and Lee Jong-suk’s agency Ace Factory, while both sides limited their comments to acknowledging the separation and indicating that the two would remain on good terms.1
The central point in the confirmed reporting is straightforward: the breakup itself is official, but the reason is not. EDAM Entertainment confirmed that the two had separated, and Ace Factory also acknowledged that the breakup had taken place. Yonhap News reported the agencies’ positions on July 10, 2026, while noting that no specific reason for the breakup was made public in that report.1
Breakup Reason Remains Undisclosed

The most important distinction in the available reports is between what the agencies confirmed and what remains unconfirmed. Officially, both agencies confirmed the end of the relationship. They did not provide a detailed explanation of why IU and Lee Jong-suk ended their relationship.1
OSEN reported that Ace Factory recognized the breakup but said it was difficult to give further answers because the matter concerned the actor’s private life. That position effectively leaves the breakup reason undisclosed in the official record.2
Kyunghyang Shinmun also reported that Ace Factory acknowledged the breakup while declining additional explanation on privacy grounds. The same report summarized the background of the relationship, noting that IU and Lee Jong-suk first became connected through SBS’s “Inkigayo” in 2012 and developed into a couple in 2022.3
Several outlets used similar wording to describe the post-breakup relationship. Sports Kyunghyang reported that both EDAM Entertainment and Ace Factory confirmed the separation and said the two had decided to remain good colleagues.4 Dispatch also reported that the two had recently broken up and decided to remain good senior-junior colleagues.5
The agencies’ comments were brief. EDAM Entertainment’s position was that “the two have broken up,” while Ace Factory said the breakup was correct.1 Dispatch carried a reported position from the two sides saying they had recently separated and would remain good senior-junior colleagues.5
What Has Been Reported Beyond the Official Position
Dispatch reported that a source close to the situation described busy schedules as a factor that reduced the couple’s meetings. However, that detail should be separated from the agencies’ official statements, because the agencies did not publicly present it as the confirmed reason for the breakup.5
That distinction matters because the selected focus of the story is the breakup reason. Based on the available source material, the official answer is that no detailed reason has been released. Reports may include background context, but the confirmed agency position stops at acknowledging the breakup and emphasizing that the two will remain on good terms.14
Star News reported on July 10, 2026, that both sides officially recognized the breakup, with EDAM Entertainment confirming IU’s separation from Lee Jong-suk and Ace Factory confirming Lee Jong-suk’s breakup. The outlet also reported that the couple had been publicly dating since December 31, 2022.6
The public timeline in the reports places the relationship in a longer entertainment-industry context. Yonhap News and Kyunghyang Shinmun both noted that IU and Lee Jong-suk first met through their work as MCs on SBS’s “Inkigayo” in 2012, before their relationship later developed into a romantic one in 2022.13
The split also comes while both figures continue their individual entertainment careers. OSEN reported that the two had acknowledged their relationship in 2022 and are continuing with their respective upcoming activities.2 The source material does not provide further confirmed details about those activities in connection with the breakup reason.
Current Status After the Split
The current status is that IU and Lee Jong-suk are no longer in a relationship, and their agencies have confirmed the breakup. The available official comments do not include allegations, conflict, or a detailed account of what led to the decision. Instead, the repeated position across reports is that they have decided to remain good colleagues or good senior-junior colleagues.54
Because the breakup reason has not been officially explained, any account of the cause should be treated carefully. The only source-backed conclusion is that both agencies confirmed the breakup, privacy was cited as a reason for not elaborating further, and the two sides framed the separation in restrained terms.23

The IU Lee Jong-suk breakup is therefore confirmed, but its reason remains officially private. As of the July 10, 2026 reports, the clearest supported account is that the two ended their relationship after about four years and have chosen to remain on respectful professional terms.
References
- 아이유·이종석, 4년 만에 결별…"좋은 동료로 남기로" (연합뉴스, 2026-07-10)
- 이종석·아이유, 4년 열애 끝 결별…결별 사유 함구 "좋은 동료로" [공식입장] (OSEN, 2026-07-10)
- 아이유·이종석 약 4년 만에 결별 “좋은 동료로 남기로” (경향신문, 2026-07-10)
- [공식] 아이유·이종석 4년 만 결별…“좋은 동료로 남기로” (스포츠경향, 2026-07-10)
- [단독] 이종석·아이유, 결별 택했다…"4년 열애, 각자의 길로" (디스패치, 2026-07-10)
- 세기의 커플, 4년만 끝..아이유·이종석 양측 "우리 결별했어요" [공식][종합] (스타뉴스, 2026-07-10)