aespa’s Winter and ENHYPEN’s Jungwon Address Dating Rumors Amid Legal Warnings from Agencies
The K-pop world was recently stirred by dating rumors involving aespa’s Winter and ENHYPEN’s Jungwon. Allegations first surfaced after an anonymous individual claimed to have spotted the two idols together at a whisky bar in the Cheongdam neighborhood of Gangnam, Seoul. Photos and videos purportedly showing the encounter quickly spread online, drawing significant attention and sparking heated discussions among fans.
image source: twitter@aespa WINTER 윈터
image source: ENHYPEN JUNGWON GLOBAL
However, both idols’ agencies were swift to deny the claims and announced plans to take legal action against the source of the rumors. On December 11, SM Entertainment, the agency representing aespa, released a firm statement, saying, “The rumors are groundless. The individual who circulated the photo contacted a media outlet seeking monetary gain and attempted to contact us directly with the same objective. When the media outlet declined to assist them, they maliciously spread the photo.” The agency further declared, “We will be taking legal action.”
BELIFT LAB, the agency managing ENHYPEN, echoed a similar stance. They stated, “The dating rumors are not true. BELIFT LAB will take strong action against any acts that infringe on the privacy of our artists or create and spread malicious rumors.”
image source: twitter@aespa WINTER 윈터
The rumors originated from a post on a Korean fan community, where an individual claimed to have seen Winter and Jungwon together at a bar. The person asserted that Winter was wearing the same outfit she had on in a previously released dance challenge video, adding to the speculation. The poster further alleged that Winter left the bar first, followed by Jungwon shortly after. Blurry photos and audio clips were shared as “evidence,” but many fans were skeptical, noting that the images were too unclear to definitively identify the idols.
The swift and decisive response from both SM Entertainment and BELIFT LAB highlights the growing seriousness with which K-pop agencies approach the spread of false information about their artists. Legal action against rumormongers has become an increasingly common approach in the K-pop industry, aiming to protect the reputation and privacy of idols.
image source: ENHYPEN JUNGWON GLOBAL
Further Reading ：Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2 is about to premiere!
