Sandara Park: 2NE1’s No-Dating Clause Led to Non-Face-to-Face Relationships

A Digital Shield Against Public Scrutiny

The Reality of Screen-Based Romance

During a candid conversation on the YouTube channel Once You Start Talking (oOo_blahblah), Park detailed these unconventional arrangements to host Lee Yong-jin. She admitted that for years, she viewed these digital interactions as legitimate relationships, though she now questions their substance. At the time, I thought I had been in a relationship. Looking back now, maybe I wasn't, she said with a laugh. We would even say, 'Today's our first day as a couple.' They probably regretted it too, which is why we broke up.

Preference, Hierarchy, and Car-Bound Dates

Park also dispelled myths regarding her romantic preferences. While she has been linked to younger men, she clarified, It's just that I haven't dated older men. It's not that I only like younger men. She noted that her ideal type is Eun Ji-won, adding that she finds it acceptable if an older man acts like a kid. Throughout her career, she noted, I mostly dated celebrities.

Early in her debut, however, the process was more intrusive. Senior artists would frequently request her number through management. When I was a newly debuted idol, senior artists would contact my company to ask for my number. At first, the company said no, but since there's a hierarchy among managers, they eventually passed on my number, she recalled. This often led to clandestine blind dates held entirely inside a car.

Sustainability and the Refusal to Meet

In a separate video titled Long-Distance Dating I’ve Never Heard Of Before, released on the 16th on the YouTube channel ‘Ipman Yeolmyeon,’ Park explained that her partners often struggled with her strict boundaries. She frequently declined to meet in person, even when they made the effort to see her. Even if he came to see me, I wouldn’t go out, she said. Men can't handle that. She added, There may have been someone I never actually met, or maybe I only saw them once or twice. Sometimes we were in the same place because of work, but only from a distance or as part of a group.

A Quiet Shift Toward Modern Dating

Park’s approach has evolved since her early days as an idol. She now engages in more traditional dating, though she remains highly protective of her privacy. I'm very comfortable now. We talk a lot and enjoy going on dates, she said. To dodge the public eye, she sticks to low-profile venues: I end up going to restaurants that aren't famous and watching movies that aren't doing well at the box office.