aespa Winter Fans’ Behavior Praised Amid Dating Scandal With BTS’s Jungkook

A viral post on Pann has gained traction among Korean netizens after praising the response aespa Winter’s fans have had to her dating rumors with BTS’s Jungkook.

The girl group star has recently found herself embroiled in a dating scandal with Jungkook after rumors exploded earlier this month.

While there was initial backlash directed at both idols, the viral post claims they’ve been impressed at how solid Winter’s core fanbase has been during these trying times.

“Winter’s fans honestly feel like the real deal.

I didn’t realize her core fandom was this solid.

When the dating rumors broke out, even the reactions from fansites and well-known fans weren’t like “I’m disappointed” or anything like that. Instead, it was more along the lines of, “I want to keep supporting you for a long time, so please give us reassurance,” which really surprised me. It felt like dropping out of the fandom wasn’t even an option for them.

She’s not a male idol either, so it’s kind of amazing to see a female idol with a fandom core this strong.”

— Viral post on Pann

In the comments, netizens agreed with the viral post and praised Winter’s strong fandom for staying by her side.

• “Honestly, it’s not like Winter has ever done things that would usually disappoint fans in the first place… She’s always communicated well, she hasn’t neglected her main job either. Sure, some fans probably felt hurt because of the dating rumors, but there definitely wasn’t anything like a mass exodus from the fandom the way antis were hoping for.”
• “This is exactly why having a strong core fandom matters so much in the idol scene, seriously.”
• “The overall mindset of the fandom is actually pretty fascinating. I guess it’s because Winter has consistently done well for the past five years. I hope she continues to show only good things going forward, for the fans who stayed. I’m a fan of another group, but I’m rooting for her.”
• “People keep going on about how a ‘big-name fan left the fandom,’ but that person didn’t even leave. They deleted their account because they were dealing with personal hardships (like health issues). If they were truly disappointed and turned their back on her, they wouldn’t have renewed usage rights either, lol. They even clearly said they’d continue supporting Winter, yet people keep framing it as them leaving the fandom. This is exactly why people say it’s always non-fans stirring things up ^^ The actual fans haven’t left, but outsiders are making more noise than anyone, acting like they’re desperately hoping people will quit the fandom, lol.”
• “Winter’s core fandom is seriously not something you can ignore. It’s strong, and you can tell the fans genuinely love her. Honestly, I’m kind of jealous of that, on a human level.”