There’s nothing like a good dating scandal to get fans in a frenzy, and in the world of Korean entertainment, this question of celebrity dating remains one of the most controversial topics. As fans are anticipating Dispatch’s annual couple reveal for the new year, more so now than ever, dating is on everyone’s radar.
Now it’s interesting because Western fans tend to be more open-minded when it comes to relationships and public romances of their favorite celebrities. However, in Korea, being swept up in dating rumors triggers public backlash and apologies. Some netizens even state that dating rumors are created as a means of scapegoating for a larger issue at hand. Additionally, it seems as though the controversy becomes even more substantial when an idol is involved versus, say, a K-drama actor.
But is this changing? And can celebrity dating ever be fully accepted in Korean culture?
Possibly, to a certain extent, at least for K-drama actors. K-idols, definitely not. And the reason is due to what is called the ‘idol branding model.’
A marketing strategy that all K-Pop industries have mastered to the T. ‘Idol branding’ is the idea of marketing idols as single and emotionally available – a fantasy that is the catalyst for fandom devotion. Thus leading to creating revenue from merchandise releases, music sales, and fan events. Which leads fans to believe that these idols solely belong to the fandom and only the fandom, no one else. These parasocial bonds lead fans to form deep emotional attachments to idols, similar to romantic projection, thus when a dating rumor does circulate around, often times many fans end up feeling betrayed.
Take, for example, the dating rumors surrounding BTS’s Jungkook and aespa’s Winter. Although rumors began circulating in 2023, at the end of 2025, these rumors truly began to take hold, and since then, many fans from both fandoms have expressed their feelings of betrayal. With some fans even sending protest trucks outside of the company’s building with the statement of kicking out said members. While other fans are still commenting over the recent video of Winter making pasta, stating that the way she phrased her comment couldn’t be more obvious about who she is addressing.
Then there was also the entire ordeal of aespa’s Karina and actor Lee Jae Wook being caught dating, which shortly thereafter resulted in the two breaking up. With fans even posting pictures of themselves burning aespa’s CD as a form of retaliation. Other fans continued to diss actor Lee Jae Wook, saying that he wasn’t good enough for Karina, targeting his looks and his acting skills.
However, in contrast, it’s interesting because K-actors don’t receive as much backlash in comparison. For example, when the news of Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki’s dating was released, fans were more than joyful to support the two. Son Ye Jin and, now husband, Hyun Bin, also had overwhelming support from literally everyone. No backlash, no demands of a public apology. Kim Woo Bin and Shin Min Ah’s relationship, upon first being announced, was highly supported.
So, looking at it from a broader perspective, dating rumors and romantic relationships cause harm to a professional standing. Major stars who are embroiled in dating controversies see a vast drop in brand deals, media projects become delayed, and the fragile trust that has tediously been created becomes lost in the blink of an eye. There is too much risk involved.
As an industry that thrives on consumer satisfaction, the repercussions of a speculative or true dating rumor aren’t worth it, especially for K-idols. So will K-celebrity dating ever be fully accepted? The answer is pretty clear: no. Real acceptance requires a great shift in how fans conceptualize their relationships with these celebrities from idealized objects to actual people whose personal lives deserve respect, and with the way that idols, especially, are being marketed, it’s highly unlikely there’ll come a day when all fans are going to be okay with their bias’ dating.
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