aespa stamped their presence all over the 2025 Music Bank Global Festival with a powerhouse handheld-mic live set. Even amid hard-hitting choreography, their vocals never wavered, prompting reactions that they "tore up" the year-end stage — and Winter's asymmetric styling became a whole new talking point.
Held on the 19th at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, the festival showcased cross-generational, cross-genre stages under the theme of K-pop as the key to global culture. Appearing near the end of the broadcast, aespa kicked off with an intro before unleashing 'Dirty Work' and 'Rich Man' back-to-back, exploding with their signature charisma. Most notably, the members performed with handheld microphones, delivering stable live vocals despite intense choreography, locking in both the crowd and viewers at home. After some overseas TV stages drew disappointment over live-singing questions, many praised this year-end stage as "letting their skills do the talking."
Winter inevitably stole the spotlight. It was her first official stage since dating rumors with BTS's Jungkook spread online, and she appeared with long, wavy hair and an easy, confident stage manner that kept the crowd engaged. At the same time, her asymmetrical styling — a single long glove worn only on her right arm — went viral and sparked a flurry of interpretations.
Some speculated the glove was to "cover a tattoo." On community forums, users previously claimed both idols have matching 'three dogs' tattoos on a similar spot on their inner arms, fueling "couple tattoo" rumors as supposed evidence of a relationship. Sightings at concerts and alleged "couple items" added to the chatter. However, as of now, Jungkook's label BIGHIT MUSIC and Winter's agency SM Entertainment have not issued separate statements regarding the dating rumors.
Others cautioned against overreading the look. Terrestrial broadcasters often apply stricter standards on visible tattoos, so idols frequently cover them with tape or outfits. Online reactions were mixed: "It's just styling to fit the concept," "It's frustrating — people complain if she covers it and complain if she doesn't," and "It could simply be for broadcast screening rules."
Meanwhile, amid the buzz, aespa are pressing on with their world tour, '2025 aespa LIVE TOUR - SYNK : aeXIS LINE,' continuing their global run.