CORTIS Keonho’s Reaction To aespa’s Award Win Sparks Scathing Reactions

Many have raised arguments about a “double standard” between male and female idols.
News
Koreaboo

Rookie BIG HIT MUSIC idol CORTIS’s Keonho is at the center of controversy after his unexpected reaction to aespa’s recent music show win.

cortis keonho
| @cortis/Instagram

This weekend, aespa secured their third win for their latest comeback, “Rich Man,” on MBC’s Show! Music Core. The prize came down to a close race between aespa and NCT’s Haechan with “CRZY.” While Haechan was present at the Show! Music Core live show, aespa was overseas attending The Fact Music Awards at the time.

aespa rich man
| SM Entertainment

When aespa was eventually announced as the winner, cameras caught Keonho standing behind Haechan, and his facial expression didn’t go unnoticed. In a brief clip that spread like wildfire on social media, the rookie can be seen puckering his lips in what some viewers interpreted as a frown or look of disapproval.

keonho expression
| MBC

The moment quickly drew intense criticism, with many accusing Keonho of “shading” aespa.

However, not everyone agreed with the interpretation. Several argued that Keonho’s intentions couldn’t be accurately judged from such a short clip, while others suggested he was simply expressing surprise at how close the voting results were given that aespa won by less than 200 points.

CORTIS fans have also jumped to Keonho’s defense, pointing out that he frequently makes similar facial expressions that don’t indicate any negative emotion.

Given Keonho’s young age, many are urging others not to criticize him too harshly; the newly debuted idol only turned 16 this year.

That said, some have raised questions about potential double standards in how the situation is being handled, suggesting that the backlash would have been far more severe if a female idol made the same expression.

Next Page
Scroll to top