Is it true or false? Dating rumors surrounding K‑idols who are actively performing both domestically and internationally have been numerous over the years. While a few have admitted to their relationships, most deny them and leave them as just rumors. Analysts suggest this is due to the backlash and criticism from some fandoms that flood in as soon as a star admits to a relationship.
A notable example of this is the dating rumor involving aespa’s Karina and actor Lee Ja‑wook. Last year, photos of Karina and Lee Ja‑wook together were revealed, and both sides acknowledged their relationship, stating they were at the “getting to know each other stage.” However, afterwards, some fans protested in front of Karina’s agency with trucks carrying harsh criticism, leading Karina to apologize to fans in a handwritten letter, and ultimately, she announced their breakup just over a month after admitting to the relationship. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo and actor Ahn Bo‑hyun faced a similar situation, where the reasons behind their breakup due to intense fandom pressure have not been disclosed, yet they ended their public relationship just two months in, creating quite a buzz.
This trend of “admitting to relationships leads to intense fandom backlash” seems to dictate that most K‑pop stars simply leave dating rumors as rumors without admitting to them.
The most famous among fans are BTS’s V and BLACKPINK’s Jennie. The dating rumors surrounding V and Jennie first emerged when a photo of two individuals resembling them enjoying a trip to Jeju Island was shared in an online community in 2022. Although it was not clearly stated that the individuals in the photograph were Jennie and V, netizens speculated that they were. Afterwards, an incident involving suspected cloud hacking of Jennie fueled the dating rumors, and the following year, they were spotted enjoying a date in Paris, adding to the excitement. However, both agencies have remained silent regarding all these rumors.
LE SSERAFIM’s Kazuha and ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon also faced a baseless dating rumor from Japan. In the same year, Japanese weekly magazine Weekly Bunshun reported through its paid section that Kazuha was dating K, a member of HYBE’s local Japanese group ENHYPEN. The media claimed that they had built a friendship over approximately a year and started dating around summer 2022, with their relationship being exposed before summer 2023 and resulting in a breakup. Later, they were again spotted enjoying a date at a high‑end restaurant in Japan, stirring up another wave of speculation, but Kazuha’s agency firmly stated that “the dating rumor is not true.”
SHINee’s Taemin was also caught up in dating rumors with dancer Noze, but Taemin’s agency denied the rumors stating, “They are close colleagues who have worked together,” thus calming the speculation. aespa’s Winter and ENHYPEN’s Jungwon also faced dating rumors sparked by social media, but Winter’s agency, SM Entertainment, released a statement saying, “The individual who spread the photos contacted a media outlet for monetary gain, and after that outlet refused to link them for monetary purposes, they spread the photos maliciously.” Jungwon’s agency, Belift Lab, also strongly denied the dating rumors, saying, “It is not true.”
These idol dating rumors that started as “rumors” ended as “rumors,” yet global fans seem to pay even more attention to such “fake dating suspicions.” This issue remains a hot topic on social media platforms like X and YouTube, which are filled with global fans, and it elicits reactions of “Dopamine!”