Rumors about aespa’s Winter and BTS’s Jungkook’s relationship have surfaced once more. As more evidence come to light, the relationship rumors have gotten more and more attention since they first surfaced in 2023. The latest round of controversy surrounding the couple’s relationship began when a fan shared a photo of Winter allegedly in Jungkook’s hometown. To what degree are these claims true?
Rumors about Winter and Jungkook’s dating first emerged after they were spotted at Harry Styles’ concert in March 2023, alongside V and a number of other celebrities who had been largely ignored during that time. However, over time, the rumors grew stronger as netizens shared what they perceived as additional evidence.
One of the most notable pieces of evidence is the account name of his pet dog, “Bam,” which some have linked to a past comment by Winter on her Instagram account that seemed similar. While some considered this evidence inaccurate, it did reinforce some suspicions about the their relationship, before they subsided with Jungkook’s enlistment in late 2023.
In March 2025, Jungkook was spotted during his military leave at an aespa concert in Seoul. Reports claimed he stayed only for Winter’s solo stage before leaving, which raised suspicions again. Things grew more complicated in July when Jungkook opened a personal Instagram account (@mnijungkook). Fans quickly noticed a similarity to Winter’s username (@imwinter). Some even alleged that Jungkook had used the same username as Winter before changing it and making his account public.
However, Jungkook’s fans denied all these allegations, pointing out that the username is fairly common among celebrities, noting that the allegations that he used a username identical to Winter’s before his account went public are false.
In June, just days before Jungkook’s military discharge, he was spotted at the airport heading to Japan. Coincidentally, aespa also traveled to Japan on the same day for their schedules. Later, all the members except Winter shared photos from Disneyland, stating that she was feeling exhausted. However, rumors suggested that she was with Jungkook at the time.
Later in July, evidence emerged regarding identical nail designs. However, these claims were quickly debunked, with many pointing out that Winter’s nails were a teaser to her upcoming song “BLUE,” while Jungkook’s nails were tied to his Calvin Klein campaign.
New evidence of Winter and Jungkook’s relationship raises more doubts.
On August 30, a photo allegedly of Winter circulated on a Korean forum. The post’s author wrote, “I couldn’t attend the concert, but I met Jin Dong Dong (Winter) by chance today. I wanted to go to the aespa concert, but it conflicted with my flight, and I couldn’t help but bear the pain and give up. Unexpectedly, fate gave me another chance—regret can sometimes turn into another kind of small blessing.”
He added, “To my surprise: As I was walking down the street, I came face to face with a girl wearing a hat. The moment I looked at her, I knew it was Jin Dong Dong! She looked so slim, really. Ming Ming, come on, come on.”
Later, fans speculated that Winter had been in an area near Jungkook’s residence in Cheongdam-Dong after asepa’s concert in Seoul. However, fans denied the rumors, noting that Winter’s photo was taken before August 25, while Jungkook and his bandmates had returned on August 25 at 5:00 AM. They also confirmed that the area where Winter had been was 11 kilometers away from Jungkook’s residence.
Despite ongoing denials, suspicions flared up again on August 29 after Jungkook went on a live and play Sufjan Stevens’s “Mystery of Love,” the same track that Winter had shared in one of her post a few days earlier.
Meanwhile, BTS is preparing for their upcoming spring 2026 comeback. with will include a reunion tour. There is also speculation that Jungkook will embark on some solo activities, including a world tour, before the group’s official promotions kick off.
