aespa's Winter maintains a cheerful demeanor at fansign amid ongoing dating rumors with BTS Jungkook

Netizens have taken notice of aespa's Winter as she appeared with a bright smile at her latest fansign event.

As previously reported, Winter proceeded with her scheduled in-person fansign on December 7 KST. Throughout the event, she was captured in numerous fan-taken photos and videos, where she maintained a warm and cheerful demeanor from start to finish.

Ahead of this schedule, many netizens and fans were curious about how she might address the ongoing issue surrounding her dating rumors with BTS' Jungkook, especially as neither company nor any group members have confirmed or clarified the status of their relationship.

However, many of these concerns softened after the fansign, as Winter greeted fans, interacted with plushies and gifts, and carried herself with consistent professionalism. Based on various fan videos, she also appeared to respond to encouraging words shared with her directly at the table.

On an online forum, K-netizens expressed mixed reactions to the situation, with a few criticizing Winter for what they viewed as a lack of awareness regarding the gravity of the issue, while the majority defended her, noting that there likely "isn't anything she can do," especially with both agencies continuing to refrain from comment.

Reactions include:

"All the aespa members have always been on the strong side…"

"I'm an all-in fan of them, and honestly their fans seem really mature. When they need to criticize a controversy or mistake, they do it, but when it's time to show love, they show love. How do they all unify their feelings like that? Isn't a real fan someone who scolds them hard until they come to their senses but still embraces them? If you stop being a fan over one controversy, were you really a fan?"

"The company stayed silent at first, then released an official statement and probably issued a no-talk order. What can she even say? For fans who paid a lot of money to be there, smiling brightly is the best she can do right now. I don't understand why people who aren't even fans keep yelling about 'fan betrayal.'"

"As long as she's happy, that's what matters."

"People say the fans are soft, but they just seem normally strong-willed. They’re simply very dedicated to their profession."

"She's even prettier today than she was yesterday."

"In my opinion, Winter’s fandom is the biggest problem. No matter what she does, no matter what mess she causes or what controversy blows up, as soon as she shows her face, they immediately start worrying about her, praising her, and acting like everything is fine. So Winter can just ignore everything and move on as if nothing happened."

"Her fan-baiting is insane."

"But what exactly is the problem? If her fans want to take responsibility for her mess and stick by her, why are people who aren’t fans making a fuss about it? For the record, I’m not a Winter fan or an aespa fan — I’m genuinely just curious."

"Dating isn’t some serious crime like she’s Cho Jin Woong or something. It’s something every human does, so what’s the big deal?"

"Isn't this what real fans do? Criticizing her during controversies is one thing, but they still love her. You just scold her hard and help her get it together — do all fans have to leave?"

"Then what is she supposed to do at the fansign? Should she cry and slam her head down saying she’s sorry for dating?"

What are your thoughts?

SEE ALSO: Netizens rave over aespa's classic, refined beauty captured at '2025 MAMA Awards'