The agencies of K-pop stars Winter of Aespa and Jungwon of ENHYPEN denied that the two are dating.
On Dec. 11, a netizen claimed in an online community that Jungwon, 20, and Winter, 23, had a date at a whiskey bar in Cheongdam, Seoul.
Photos of a man and a woman, who were wearing face masks, were uploaded with the claim that they were Jungwon and Winter.
"It must be nice to have a lot of the same schedules since it's the end of the year. Winter got in a taxi first and then Yang Jungwon got in and they left,” the netizen claimed, Korean media reported.
Aespa's Winter (left) and ENHYPEN's Jungwon (Instagram)
Photos uploaded by a netizen claiming that these are Winter and Jungwon (X)
However, their agencies said the rumors are groundless.
"The dating rumors are groundless. The person who distributed the photos (containing Winter and Jungwon) tried to contact the media for financial gain and communicate directly with us, but when the media refused, saying that they cannot connect reports for financial gain, the person distributed them maliciously, so we will take legal action," said SM Entertainment, Aespa’s agency.
Belift Lab, ENHYPEN’s agency, said, "The dating rumors are not true. Belift Lab will take strong action against acts that invade the artist's privacy and create and spread malicious rumors."