Pop Music Stars Deny Dating Rumors: The Truth About aespa’s Winter and ENHYPEN’s Jungwon

K-pop stars Winter of the group aespa and Jungwon of the group ENHYPEN have firmly denied dating speculation through their respective management companies following social media claims about the artists being spotted together.

On Dec. 11, online posts alleged the two performers were seen at a whisky bar in Seoul’s Cheongdam neighborhood, sparking a flurry of speculation that prompted swift responses from both agencies, Soompi reports.

SM Entertainment, representing Winter, issued a strong denial: “[The rumors] are groundless. The person who circulated the photo contacted a media outlet with the intention of monetary gain, attempting to communicate with us directly. However, when the outlet refused by saying that they cannot help contact [us] for reports with the purpose of monetary gain, they seemed to have maliciously circulated [the photo]. We will be taking legal action.”

BELIFT LAB, Jungwon’s agency, echoed this stance, stating: “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 or spread malicious rumors.”

The denials came after social media users shared various claims attempting to connect the two artists. According to allkpop, these included speculation about “couple items,” with netizens pointing to both stars wearing similar Adidas zip tops and framed glasses. Some users also claimed to identify matching outfits in circulated videos, though others argued these items are common clothing among idols.

Additional unverified claims emerged on social media platforms. Koreaboo reports that speculation intensified following an Oct. 24 Prada event, with some fans noting alleged messaging app activity. Online users claimed to have discovered matching display names on Kakaotalk, with Winter allegedly using the Korean character “ㅇ” while Jungwon used “ddd” – characters sharing the same keyboard position.

A video circulating online showed a man with his face covered talking on the phone, with some netizens suggesting voice similarities to Jungwon, though this remains unconfirmed. Some social media users also attempted to draw connections through the artists’ alleged social media activity, including claims about Instagram following patterns. SM Entertainment noted that any past connection between the artists could be explained by their time as trainee colleagues when Jungwon trained at SM Entertainment before debuting with ENHYPEN.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about privacy invasion in the K-pop industry, particularly regarding sasaeng fans – individuals who engage in stalking behavior. Both agencies emphasized their commitment to protecting their artists from malicious rumors and unwarranted speculation about their personal lives, with SM Entertainment specifically announcing plans for legal action against those spreading false information.