Winter idol aespa has been constantly being scrutinized since dating rumors between her and Jungkook (BTS) broke out earlier this month.
Although it seemed that the wave of criticism aimed at the two stars had subsided, the most recent public appearance of aespa showed the opposite.
Winter appeared with aespa members on the SBS Gayo Daejeon 2025 red carpet, where each artist introduced themselves in a different language.
Winter was the one who opened with an introduction in English. But after Winter's greeting, no audience member responded. The whole auditorium was completely silent, to the point that many people compared this moment to "black sea of silence" (turning off lightsticks, not cheering) that once shocked in Kpop.
The contrast became even clearer after 3 members Ningning, Giselle and Karina successively sent greetings. They received loud cheers.
The video quickly spread online, reaching nearly 20 million views in just 1 day on X. Many opinions believe that the "cold treatment" for Winter is a direct consequence of dating rumors with Jungkook.
The reaction of international netizens was quite mixed. Some people said that the audience's behavior was something Winter "should have endured", while many others strongly condemned this behavior, saying it was unfair treatment.
Rumors of Jungkook and Winter dating exploded in early December, after the online community pointed out a series of "signs" showing that the two artists have a romantic relationship, such as the same tattoo on the arm, Jungkook attending aespa's concert during military service, similar rings and headphones, and the nail design on the ring finger looking similar...
Both HYBE and SM Entertainment management companies did not give a clear response, but only said: "We have nothing to comment on", making many people believe that this silence can be understood as a way to acknowledge the relationship between the two artists.
Dating news caused a stir and division in the fan community of the two groups aespa and BTS. Among them, fans sent trucks with protest messages to SM and HYBE headquarters, not accepting the Winter and Jungkook dating.
According to some viewers, the SBS Gayo Daejeon 2025 red carpet event is only for foreigners, with no Korean fans attending. This shows that international aespa fans react strongly to the Winter noise, especially Chinese fans - a market that supports aespa very much.
Some opinions analyze that the reason Winter was turned away by fans was due to her handling of the crisis. Winter is compared to the same group member Karina, when both were involved in dating rumors.
In February 2024, Karina was exposed by Dispatch for dating actor Lee Jae Wook. After speaking out to confirm the relationship, Karina wrote a handwritten letter confiding and apologizing to fans for "worrying that dating news may have hurt fans".
Karina's actions made many people sympathize. From being criticized, Karina was defended by many fans. About 5 weeks later, Korean media reported that Karina and Lee Jae Wook had broken up.
But in Winter's case with Jungkook, the two artists remained absolutely silent. They did not respond to dating rumors, nor did they mention this issue once in livestreams, applications for fans, or in front of the media.
Winter was accused of not caring about fans' emotions, making fans extremely disappointed.
