Dating rumors between BTS’s Jungkook and aespa’s Winter have triggered an escalating response from both fandoms.
Both groups of fans have begun expressing their frustration openly as the rumors persist without official clarification.
Protest Trucks Appear Outside SM Entertainment and HYBE
Jungkook’s fans previously sent protest trucks to HYBE’s headquarters with their demands.
Winter’s fans followed suit, deploying their own protest trucks outside SM Entertainment’s building.
The trucks displayed multiple slogans targeting the situation. One message read, “Silence is not the answer! Show responsibility.”
Another banner stated, “Erase your tattoos and clarify the situation.”
A third slogan referenced broken promises: “You said we will be together even after ten years, but you have broken our trust.”
The most direct demand declared, “If you want to continue dating, then live as normal citizen Kim Minjeong and not aespa’s Winter.”
Mixed Netizen Reactions and SM’s Legal Response
Online reactions to the fan protests split sharply among netizens.
Some questioned the necessity of such measures, asking, “Is this really necessary?”
Others defended the fans’ frustration, arguing, “Dating isn’t the problem; it’s hinting that you are dating in front of fans.”
One commenter expressed disapproval of the alleged couple tattoos regardless of celebrity status: “I don’t like the couple tattoos, even if they were normal people.”
Several netizens supported the fans’ right to voice their grievances. “The idols are the ones who dated noisily, and yet they want fans to unstan quietly? Fans should unstan noisily too!” one wrote.
Another stated, “I can understand them going this far.”
Multiple comments demanded official statements from the agencies: “Release an official statement responding to the rumors!”
One netizen made a lighthearted observation: “The truck driver must be excited.”
The most detailed criticism focused on specific actions: “It was more shocking to me that she had a couple of tattoos and wore her boyfriend’s clothes to a fan sign event. They shouldn’t have hinted that they were dating and meet each other quietly.”
SM Entertainment has since released an official notice regarding legal action against the dating rumors.
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