ENHYPEN Jungwon has directly denied online rumors of a romantic relationship with aespa Winter.
During a live broadcast on the fan community platform Weverse last Thursday, Jungwon addressed the rumors, laughing, “There’s a comment asking if I’m dating someone.” He clarified, “I’m not dating anyone. There’s also a question asking if I smoke, and no, I don’t smoke either.”
He added, “I don’t know what the people who posted these things were thinking, but I don’t date, and I don’t smoke.” He then expressed frustration, saying, “I’m at a loss for words.”
On Wednesday, social media and online community platforms were abuzz with photos and videos allegedly showing Winter and Jungwon on a date in the exact location. The netizen who uploaded the photos claimed that the woman’s outfit in the photo matched Winter’s outfit from a previously uploaded challenge video. They also alleged that the man in the video was Jungwon, sparking the dating rumor.
However, both sides quickly denied the rumors. SM Entertainment, aespa’s agency, told News1, “The rumor is groundless.” The company added, “The individual who circulated the photos contacted a media outlet to sell the content for monetary gain. When the outlet declined to facilitate such transactions, the individual maliciously spread the photos. We will take legal action against this.”
A representative from BELIFT LAB, ENHYPEN’s agency, also denied the allegations, stating, “The dating rumor is not true. BELIFT LAB will strongly respond to any actions that invade the privacy of our artists or create and spread malicious rumors.”