In the K-pop industry, a constant favorite discussion in various online communities is celebrity dating gossip. Among the top ones, the latest dating rumor that has resurfaced is involving BTS’s Jungkook and aespa’s Winter.
Recently, a popular online community post on October 29 has gained massive attention as the poster presented “evidence” to further claim that the two idols are dating.
Jungkook and Winter’s dating rumors were first sparked back in 2023, when the two idols were spotted attending a Harry Styles concert and seen in the same VIP section. Following the show, fans closely scrutinized their interactions and sparked rumors that they were dating, linking various coincidental clues.
Although the initial rumors soon died off, it resurfaced this year in July when Jungkook returned to Instagram with a new account. When fans discovered his new account, many were quick to notice his username and began speculating a possible connection to Winter. Fans claimed that Jungkook’s username ‘@imjungkook‘ was closely similar to Winter’s ‘@imwinter.’ Not long after, Jungkook edited his username to ‘@mnijungkook,’ but fans continued to remain speculative.
Now, on October 29, this topic has been reignited on Nate Pann, where one netizen provided photos of matching accessories, claiming that Jungkook and Winter are dating.
The poster explained, “Same handmade bracelets… group members naturally become close… listening to the same playlists on Instagram for months… wearing clothes from the same brands… Instagram IDs… When Winter changes her nail color, someone else changes to the exact same color at the same time… Winter recently started getting tattoos and piercings…” and concluded, “You can make your own judgment… Both of them are old enough that they wouldn’t really hide a relationship anyway.”
However, this has sparked backlash from other netizens and fans who criticized this as an overreach. They commented:
“Posting at 5 a.m. and then recommending it at this hour? That’s clearly a stan troll. It’s obvious you’re not a fan of either of them, so you have zero interest and are just forcing a connection. Anyway, I’ll debunk each point that’s going viral. The bracelets are of completely different thicknesses. Winter uses them for photoshoots, Jungkook has his personal one from 2021, four years ago. That hat has been worn by other female celebrities too. The Instagram ID is a foreign fan account. Winter isn’t the only celebrity who does nails; the colors are totally different, and this has already been clarified. Why do you keep repeating the same nonsense? Even if they drink the same cola, that doesn’t make them a couple—people just force it. It’s not even interesting anymore.”
“There hasn’t been any overlap in Instagram song recommendations for months, so why does no one believe it? BTS members whose songs overlap with Winter include RM, J-Hope, and others—but I won’t list them all because it could be used to drag her into rumors with other members. In fact, the songs Jungkook and Winter share are fewer; Jungkook often overlaps with other BTS members. He’s said he listens randomly on Spotify and has recommended dozens of songs. Winter actually overlaps more with other artists than with Jungkook. Does that mean she’s dating all of them?”
“It’s stupid to try to connect them just because of clothes. People end up calling you “gallery grandmas” for this. That brand (Niels) is common among regular people, not just celebrities. Jungkook has the hats in green, black, gray, navy—he buys multiple colors. He also buys Supreme hats and clothes in different colors. If you check the brand, the pattern is always the same like Adidas; only the color changes.”
“There are so many celebrities wearing the same brand or similar designs, but because they’re popular, people overreact and try to connect them crazily. There are at least 10 male and female connections that get rumors, so even if you post the same thing repeatedly on a failing site, it won’t matter—you’ll likely get sued eventually.”
“Jungkook has never been caught in a clear two-shot… aside from shaky videos or manipulated clips on channels like Gaseyeon, people try to stir rumors with in-ear monitors or common brand clothes, even making fake videos to connect him with women. It’s really frustrating. There have even been articles stating the rumors are false, but stans keep venting their obsession—it’s sad.”
