On the June 11 episode of the KBS2 variety show, "Happy Together 3," Lee Hyun Woo discussed rumors which continue to surround his friendship with IU.

During the segment, host Yoo Jae Suk questioned Lee as to whether or not he had deeper feelings for the solo vocalist. "No matter how close two people are as friends, wouldn't feelings naturally rise between a man and a woman?," Yoo tentatively asked.

Lee delayed his response, which led to further teasing from Yoo. He denied relationship claims while pointing out the tenacity of Korean netizens and their ability to investigate celebrity relationships.

During his appearance on "Happy Together 3," he also discussed his friendship with Kim Soo Hyun. He sees the "Producer" star as a role model, following their work on the 2013 blockbuster film, "Secretly, Greatly." "Kim Soo Hyun is so cool and he helps the overall atmosphere during filming," said Lee.

He also jokingly provided his feelings on seeing Kim and IU together, as an on-screen couple in "Producer."

Relationship rumors involving IU and Lee were ignited in 2013 when an entertainment report published an article which alleged that the two stars were spotted together at a movie. They have continuously denied the rumors, stating that they are only friends.

In January 2015, they were interviewed during a photo shoot, for the SBS program "One Night of Entertainment." Lee and IU regularly appear together as endorsement models for the casual clothing brand, Unionbay. In the segment for "One Night of Entertainment," Lee weighed in on the dating scandal. Lee asked IU, "How long has it been since we've last seen each other?"

The conversation then turned towards the tenacious nature of tabloid journalists and their desire to capture photos of the alleged couple.

About the writer: Adrienne Stanley is a contributing writer for Kpopstarz, KDramastars, MTV Iggy and CJ Entertainment's KCON blog. Her passions include a love of K-pop and Asian drama. When she is not writing she is hanging out on Twitter (@retrogirladdy).