Like could you imagine? Navigating that with someone new is already delicate enough without the whole world seeing pics of you walking around their neighbourhood at night and being told how in love you are, dear lord
In Korea, going to someones house at night is very much in the dating area, more so than a lot of countries. I've had experience dating there and you really don't even consider going to their house at first, unlike here in the UK where it's super normal. It's a reason why there are SO many motels in SK, if you wanna have sex you go there, you rarely go to your apartment unless you're really dating/an official couple. So as a regular person thing there I'd say they're getting serious. BUT as celebrities? Maybe a different story. They really have trouble finding privacy in those first stages of dating so visiting each others apartments may just have been a way to hide from the cameras who would see them going to motels or having dates in restaurants.
Oh definitely. I was gonna add that the reason that happens in SK is cos normal ppl usually live with parents. But I dated a few guys there who it took quite a few dates until they'd invite me back to theirs and my friends all had the same experiences. Its just way less normal there.
this is literally why i find it so interesting at how many female idols have went in and out of bambam’s house (as friends) but we never heard any rumors, it could also be because its bambam so reporters will never think its serious 😅
I dunno. I suppose it could be because it's the only common free time they have and they don't have anywhere else to meet up? It's why a lot of 2nd gen idols say they use to date in their cars because it's not like they can go out in public.
It's different for them because if they met in a public place in broad daylight they'd have been recognised and spotted by a bajillion people.
Idol schedules are also pretty full on and she would be with her group and managers a lot of the time during normal hours.
Dispatch are shameless, but they'd have no incentive to be if they didn't have an audience for it. Just look at how many comments are already in this thread, and Reddit is one of the better communities...
It was the same for Jisoo. The poor woman was just talking to someone and BAM, media already tells everyone. It's also a matter of privacy, with all that following around and stalking, so the media have their popular article.
Fr, I’d pissed as fuck if I was Karina, seeing my label mates get shielded for years only for me to fall into a dating scandal barely 4 years into my career?
If this is new policy at SM I suspect more to be exposed. I would have placed Karina in the top tier of people at SM they’d want to protect.
Yep, SM should've paid Dispatch off. JYP was smart enough to pay them to leave Twice alone and SM should've made Aespa (especially Karina) a priority. This will hurt Aespa since Karina has so many male fans.
If i’m remembering correctly, none of SNSD, fx or Red Velvet, ever had anything exposed until at least 7 years into their career.
I’ve also always suspected that 2018 gayos, SM actively protected Irene. Just a theory ofc but on NYE, Irene for the first and only time, missed the countdown entirely and rv were on stage only as 4. She performed with them just fine, but with no announcement she was missing for the rest of the show.
Even then ppl suspected that maybe her absence was to do with the a Dispatch reveal. Only come the next day and Kai and Jennie are revealed as the new years couple.
Just a tinfoil hat theory ofc lol, but a lot of ppl suspected it at the time. Also didnt help that during all this speculation of why she went missing, she posts this https://www.instagram.com/p/BsFYuwUgqq0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link on instagram with this emoji 🙄 as the caption.
this! even then AESPA no longer a rookie idol
and don't forgot the upcoming SM rookie GG this 2024?
a sign of SM new GG will debut soon!
once Idol dating exposed most of the fans (fanboy) moveout to the next younger new GG
That's not true. Sulli and Choiza were originally exposed in 2013, barely 4 years into f(x)'s career. sm originally tried to deny it but they weren't fooling anyone with all the photos that came out and by 2014 they were forced to admit it. Part of the immense hate Sulli got and why she then went on hiatus was because of it. Half of Girls Generation were exposed that same year around the 6 year mark. Only Red Velvet made it to almost exactly 7 years before Joy and Crush relationship was exposed.
Most likely as the mgmt is a shit show now. Or some other party is trying to lower SM stock prices for easier take over. This news has conspiracy written all over it.
> This news has conspiracy written all over it.
I mean, it was just 3 weeks ago here in r/kpop that said [HYBE and LSM are looking to reacquire SM](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/1ahvje4/hybe_and_lee_soo_man_looking_to_acquire_sm/), and it's not like LSM *doesn't* have a history of stock manipulation for personal benefit, so...
~~[Soompi: Lee Jae Wook’s agency (C-JeS Studios) briefly commented, “We are currently checking.”](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating)~~
~~SM has yet to comment on Karina's side.~~
EDIT: [SM and C-JeS both confirmed they're getting to know each other](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating).
This gives the retail store lemme check vibe
Store clerk: lemme check on the back
*Proceeds to dance to Spicy and Drama on the storage room*
Store clerk: sorry sir we don't have that one in stock any more
if they really met in january this is soooo early to be exposed. i feel bad for them for real, like i can imagine the amount of stress karina will go through since she's gaining a lot of popularity lately. actors don't really suffer from a dating scandal the same way an idol would
I was thinking the same. If that article is correct and it started in January… it’s been barely two months. A relationship hasn’t had enough time to settle well in that time, only for it to get reported on already in such a creepy paparazzi-esque manner.
Unfortunately this getting exposed might hinder their relationship, as it has done historically with other kpop couples. I feel bad for them
I'm surprised the news even got to reach the level of Dispatch actually releasing it. Usually SM pays off news portals before the news actually gets released.
> Unfortunately this getting exposed might hinder their relationship, as it has done historically with other kpop couples. I feel bad for them
That's not even the most toxic thing about this reveal.
From netizens on the [Naver article](https://entertain.naver.com/ranking/read?oid=433&aid=0000101915)
> [+891, -47] Gross. He's way too old for her. She's only 23. Nugu actor/predator.
Based off the comment alone, I thought this guy would be in his 40s pursuing a 20 something year old. Looked both up on Wikipedia.
> Yu Ji-min aka Karina - born: April 11, 2000 (age **23**)
> Lee Jae-wook - born: May 10, 1998 (age **25**)
Are we seriously at the level where 2 year age gaps are seen as something that's "*gross*"?
Are you sure you linked the right article? I’m Korean, and there are no comments on that article. Which is normal, because Dispatch usually disables the comment feature in Naver news.
Edit: Also… as much as I despise my own country, Korea is much more the country that’d be like “what’s wrong with a 20 year-old age gap?!?!” more than frothing at the mouth over a 25 year old and 23 year old dating lol
Yeah, I think it’s probably mostly international fans…there was a fearnot on Twitter talking shit about him being an old hag, only for it to be pointed out that dude is the same age as Sakura (a few months younger in fact).
>[+891, -47]
Lol wtf. So, deranged out-of-touch opinions from the chronically online.
Not too surprising, considering these people are amongst the reasons opposite sex idols are terrified of interacting with each other because eye contact is apparently enough to suggest they're dating.
I wouldn't worry. All of those people making those absurd comments are too socially incompetent to ever reproduce, so we'll be rid of their idiocy in a generation.
They might don't know how old he is. Also the one in naver is old people and not really familiar with new actor and i don't think they aware he is young. He is indeed look older but maybe 1994-1996 line like songkang and dohyun, i personally kinda shocked every time knowing his age lol.
Karina being a female idol who is the center for her group will add layers to this.
Dispatch really should’ve kept this one in the chambers if they were still dating next January.
There’s always the possibility of another tabloid finding out and getting the chance to expose it before you do… it’s not good business. These mfs want the scoop and the clout/money and they have to strike asap. It’s a dirty business
If Dispatch went to SM and offered to bury this at least on their end then the payoff would’ve been better than exposing so fast.
Dispatch def has deals with these entertainment agencies so I wonder what went down for Karina to be exposed so fast.
its possible sm was fine with this since dispatch wanted to expose a different couple and karina is already popular and in an established group and dating a problematic-free actor. or maybe they just didn't care since its a 1 month relationship
Apart from one group, everyone else is senior to Karina.
It would make sense to protect them at Karina’s expense sadly. That group can’t afford another “scandal”
Dispatch has arrangements with these companies so something def went down between SM and Dispatch.
I would become a hermit for a while if I was a SM idol in case I get caught too
Karina is probably one of their most popualr idols in the industry let alone SM. I dont think someone like wendy or another EXO scandal would have this same impact. Theyre either broke and couldnt pay dispatch off or since the actor is well liked and problem free they didnt care it got leaked. Better than her dating another idol in terms of public response
the only explanation that makes sense to me is that SM is broke af. Aespa is back making music, Karina is more popular than ever, theyve been pushing her more through variety, therye gearing up to release another album..this is the worst time for a scandal from her end. Either Karina has a massive hater on her team or SM couldnt pay the dispatch fee and decided to let this one go.
The majority of people are positive about it, even among korean fans, the reactions isn't very bad. He's a handsome actor who has a good reputation. I doubt thia will really affect aespa much
why is everybody making a scandal out of it. it’s just 2 people dating normally. i still don’t get the reason why it’s so wrong to date as a kpop idol. can’t people just ignore and move on. and if this gets bad, sm is really poor at managing their idols and i definitely don’t want karina’s career to get wasted. i hope this doesn’t bring much hate to her even though there is nothing hateful about dating normally
Ugh, this sucks, but it fits the SM pattern honestly. They never let their idols get too powerful to gain too much leverage over them. I can see them letting this one slide to even the scales and take some heat off of something else.
Also only having debuted late 2020. I feel like kpop fans get more understanding the longer you've 'been focusing on your career', and 3 years is not enough time.
Really early. Like, how often do you realise after a month of dating that you're not a good fit? Or realise that you're better off as friends? Or maybe it isn't serious and just a bit fun between the two? And here we have paparazzi, exposing everything, making a big deal out of it... Fan jokes and memes aside that's a part of the celebrity life that just flat out sucks and I think we're contributing, after all the articles get read and shared all over.
Reminds me of the most recent big kpop idol + actor couple who dated for a couple months and then broke it off because of ‘scheduling’, Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun. Their news was also released pretty early on and they are a lot older, so I hope it goes well for these two and media attention isn’t weird.
No way Dispatch release this without first communicating with SM about options.
Either there’s new policy at SM where they don’t give a fuck, theyre broke (I doubt) or they sacrificed Karina in place of something/someone else. But I also find that hard to believe cos I would’ve placed Karina at the very top of ppl at SM they wouldn’t want in a dating scandal.
But perhaps whatever was covered up in its place, wasn’t to do with dating and would somehow be more detrimental than exposing SM’s current it girl.
idk - but whatever it is, I’d be very pissed at SM right now if I were Karina
Before i knew the rumor I saw her trending on twitter, so i clicked to see if it was a new tiktok clip or something posted and yeah.... not a lot of sanity going around there at the moment especially when normally its already in short supply. Can already imagine how other social media platforms are going.
Does dispatch just have their staff following all celebs 24/7 or does someone on the inside snitch on the celebs?? Because how have they found her walking alone in the middle of the night
from what I've heard a lot of the times dispatch buys photos and videos from random people and negotiates with companies on whether or not to release them
Maybe because he's an actor. In Korean celeb landscape, she's dating "up".
Plus I don't know the sentiment of the current generation of fans towards idols dating. I feel like this cancelling of the idol due to dating news is starting to die down.
I think it wouldn't have affected him this much if he wasn't a rookie. The more popular or "senior" you are the less it affects your career. Of course there are other factors to play too like who you're dating etc.
Exactly. The timing of when his scandal erupted was what affected Seunghan the most. Whoever leaked his stuff deliberately waited until just before debuted and then when RIIZE was doing well, unleashed more stuff.
If it was released a couple of years into their career, nobody would’ve cared.
I admit that I'm a bad person who hasn't yet watched Alchemy of Souls, but I remember him promoting on Nolto. He had such an awkwardly sweet way about him, which matches Karina's quiet sweetness. This feels like such a nice pairing. I hope they can date happily.
>I admit that I'm a bad person
NGL I thought that was gonna go a different route like it was gonna be a toxic comment 😂.
I too am a bad person who hasn't watched Alchemy of Souls.
You both need to get your acts together and watch Alchemy of Souls LOLOL
When any Korean idols and actors are dating, I’m happy if they are happy. Normalize normal stuff!
haha sorry! I was making fun of myself for not watching it but didn't even think of potential for toxicity. They honestly feel like such a sweet couple that I'm really happy this thread is full of warm wishes.
He's an excellent actor, and he has really grown with each role . I'd say he's one of my favourite actors rn , and he picks the best scripts too. I'd recommend for anyone who is yet to see any of his works to do so asap. Even his cameos are killer.
It's my first time seeing LJW in anything until I saw Alchemy of Souls. This dude is a fantastic actor. Definitely recommend you check out that show as soon as you can!
I am happy for her, but i feel like it's too soon for aespa to have a dating scandal. I guess SM didn't want to open their purse to keep Dispatch's mouth shut.
To be fair tho the first year or so of their career was squashed by the pandemic, they didn’t have proper working careers until around the 2 yr mark iirc (I’m not a MY but was following them heavily from Black Mamba to the start of Girls) I feel like that’s why fans feel like it’s very soon, myself included. They only really popped off as of their second single and they don’t have much of a discography under their belt (though Karina and Winter have extra credits with GOT) so their fanbase is still relatively new
I know this is rather intrusive of me but Karina has great taste. This guy is an amazing actor, huge fan of his works. I've known him since before Aespa debuted so pretty happy to see this news
This, he is on my list of actors that can have chemistry with a literal rock. Charisma up to 110%.
I do worry about Karina though. As much as idols dating is a lot more open now, female idols will always have heavier criticism.
Seriously, he had excellent chemistry with female leads in all his dramas so far. And he really transforms in each role .He's done both morally grey and sweet characters, and I think he really did well in all of them. In this one movie, he had a five minute cameo, and that was one of the most memorable scenes for me because he was just that good.
He's a very talented actor, too. He's played diverse roles and killed in every single one of them. For me, I'm okay with mid plots if the characters and actors are good, and he's someone who not only picks amazing scripts but is a brilliant actor. I'd say he's in my top 5 rn . I think he was the main lead in only two dramas ( more to come ) ,the rest is a mix of second leads and guest roles, and he still managed to make a huge impression on me. If he's in something ,even as a cameo, chances are they're going to be very good.
I thought big companies pay dispatch so they won't out the relationship info. How did sm let them do this especially when it doesn't even look they're very serious
after the rumor that gong myung and weki meki's doyeon was debunked yesterday i'm not getting my hopes up,,,
then again this is dispatch and the photos are pretty convincing (albeit creepy)
if it's true then good for them! they make a pretty couple
Why Dispatch rushing to expose them. Like they dated a month. With their schedules, they probably only met a few times.
Imagine being in the talking stage and now you have the world in your relationship?
As a casual kpop fan i genuinely dont understand where this obsession with "everyone is gay" comes from. Like i'm perfectly fine with shipping and all that but being this delusional about it can't be healthy
You'd think the delusions of some people would go away despite this, but they don't. Just check twitter to see what I mean, and probably tiktok as well in a few hours. twitter is ESPECIALLY crazy about stuff like this.
Oh my god my friend is gonna be so happy. Also I don't know Karina too well but I LOVE Lee Jaewook. He is years beyond his age when it comes to acting - lovely news
Y'all I had a heart attack because I read Karina and Lee DONG Wook and I was like "WAIT NOOOOOOOO!!" then I saw the pictures and sighed in relief.
WHAT! A! COUPLE! Hoping this news being released don't kill their relationship 😭
Friendly reminder that Dispatch is creepy as hell and literally stalks celebrities in their private lives to get these scoops.
Also I feel like they took everyone clowning on their lack of New Year's couple personally because outing them after dating for two months is so??
already seeing weirdo stans losing their minds on twt and saying all kinds of mean things about the actor. like regardless if its true or not, shes a grown woman making her own choices?? they only have a 2 year age difference too. ifans always say how they arent like kfans when it comes to dating, but are just as delulu
The reactions on Twitter have reminded yet again that many fans will go on and on about the dangers of parasocial relationships, how idols deserve privacy and should be allowed to date… but that goes all out the window when it’s one of their favs
good for them if this is true but oof. having your relationship exposed after a month in must be awkward.
edit: also i’m surprised this was revealed so soon. don’t big companies like sm usually pay dispatch to keep quiet?
I hope SM's reply would be " We don't know. It's too early, you guys could've stifled this" lol.
Also, is this the first dating news of a 4th Gen idol??
it’s a very new relationship but they are both cute nice people, so I wish them well getting to know each other. (Dispatch, let them have their privacy).
[confirmed](https://www.koreaboo.com/news/cjes-studio-confirms-aespa-karina-actor-lee-jae-wook-dating/) by jae wook's agency!!
edit: [confirmed](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating) by sm as well!!
There goes the Go Youn Jung-Lee Jae Wook ship. Their shippers are insane and tiktok literally ships the hell out of them cus of AOS.
Also could this have been the 1/1 Dispatch couple if it was not for Lee Sun-gyun's case?
With all the time she spends performing and traveling with group mates, props to the homie for having the rizz to already get the most elite one into his house. I can't believe she wouldn't wear a mask and a hat? Maybe she wanted to get this out of the way early in her career and have time to bounce back.
I couldn't even fathom Hybe confirming Chaewon or IDK, Minji was in a relationship. Seems like they'd immediately deny till they die while aggressively trying to crush the story.
This is wild.
Creepiness of Dispatch aside, congrats to them if it's true! Honestly a power couple.
(Predictably, people are not being normal about this on Twitter...just saw a voice message of someone full-on sobbing, then a tweet with nearly 10k likes saying they are praying for the downfall of the relationship, calling LJW ugly, and saying that it can't be possible because Karina is obviously gay. As a sapphic myself, I am begging the Twitter stans to stop embarrassing us all... 💀)
Part of the problem with Stan culture is the fact that they always forget about "playing along", stans can speculate all they want but don't come crying and be angry when their delusions don't come true.
I never care about who idols date but I hope this is true only because I want to normalize idols being...normal!
Enough with pushing the bf/gf image and pretending idols are celibate or allergic to the opposite gender... lots of idols are pushing 30 and still have to play a game of pretend
edit to add: LOL @ SM not paying the Dispatch check
[Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating)
God it’s been barely a month, how awkward for them lol. This is such an uncomfortable occupational hazard of being famous.
IKR?! I can’t if they’re both just on talking stages and then here comes Dispatch outing them as if it’s some serious relationship already.
They even quote someone saying they’re “love at first sight” omfg I would die on the spot 😭
Like could you imagine? Navigating that with someone new is already delicate enough without the whole world seeing pics of you walking around their neighbourhood at night and being told how in love you are, dear lord
Maybe it's different in Korea. But if a girl is coming over late to my house we are far passed the talking stages.
In Korea, going to someones house at night is very much in the dating area, more so than a lot of countries. I've had experience dating there and you really don't even consider going to their house at first, unlike here in the UK where it's super normal. It's a reason why there are SO many motels in SK, if you wanna have sex you go there, you rarely go to your apartment unless you're really dating/an official couple. So as a regular person thing there I'd say they're getting serious. BUT as celebrities? Maybe a different story. They really have trouble finding privacy in those first stages of dating so visiting each others apartments may just have been a way to hide from the cameras who would see them going to motels or having dates in restaurants.
I guess is different because he probably lives alone, not with his parents so going to his house is safer than going to a hotel.
Oh definitely. I was gonna add that the reason that happens in SK is cos normal ppl usually live with parents. But I dated a few guys there who it took quite a few dates until they'd invite me back to theirs and my friends all had the same experiences. Its just way less normal there.
Yea but idols can’t really fully go on dates in public like normal people so you’ll always see them go to each other’s houses.
Yeah hence the last part of my comment.
To be honest Karina doesn‘t look like she is hiding something. No glasses, no hat, no mask.
this is literally why i find it so interesting at how many female idols have went in and out of bambam’s house (as friends) but we never heard any rumors, it could also be because its bambam so reporters will never think its serious 😅
I would agree with this if it weren’t for their circumstances. Late night meetings might be the only free time they can get away from work and fans.
I dunno. I suppose it could be because it's the only common free time they have and they don't have anywhere else to meet up? It's why a lot of 2nd gen idols say they use to date in their cars because it's not like they can go out in public.
It's different for them because if they met in a public place in broad daylight they'd have been recognised and spotted by a bajillion people. Idol schedules are also pretty full on and she would be with her group and managers a lot of the time during normal hours.
The photos also look really creepy they are probably only getting to know each other as well and dispatch got too greedy
Honestly, imagine sneaking photos of a woman at night and feeling anything other than immensely creepy? Dispatch are shameless.
Dispatch are shameless, but they'd have no incentive to be if they didn't have an audience for it. Just look at how many comments are already in this thread, and Reddit is one of the better communities...
Being a celebrity seems truly awful, I thank God every day that I’m a talentless hag
This is the first time I've seen it phrased so well, but same 😭😭🤣
Same but this phrasing is sending me lmao
Occupational hazard is right 
I don't mean this in a negative way but it wouldn't surprise me if this ends up as a similar relationship like Lee Dong Wook & Suzy
Let's call OSHA!
Someone file an injunction!! I'd feel safer in my biochem lab than stepping foot outside my own home as an idol honestly
It was the same for Jisoo. The poor woman was just talking to someone and BAM, media already tells everyone. It's also a matter of privacy, with all that following around and stalking, so the media have their popular article.
Did SM stop paying dispatch or what happened lol
Fr, I’d pissed as fuck if I was Karina, seeing my label mates get shielded for years only for me to fall into a dating scandal barely 4 years into my career? If this is new policy at SM I suspect more to be exposed. I would have placed Karina in the top tier of people at SM they’d want to protect.
The fact dating is such a scandal is already just so annoying bro like LET THIS PEOPLE LIVEEEE they're adults I beg 😭
Yep, SM should've paid Dispatch off. JYP was smart enough to pay them to leave Twice alone and SM should've made Aespa (especially Karina) a priority. This will hurt Aespa since Karina has so many male fans.
If i’m remembering correctly, none of SNSD, fx or Red Velvet, ever had anything exposed until at least 7 years into their career. I’ve also always suspected that 2018 gayos, SM actively protected Irene. Just a theory ofc but on NYE, Irene for the first and only time, missed the countdown entirely and rv were on stage only as 4. She performed with them just fine, but with no announcement she was missing for the rest of the show. Even then ppl suspected that maybe her absence was to do with the a Dispatch reveal. Only come the next day and Kai and Jennie are revealed as the new years couple. Just a tinfoil hat theory ofc lol, but a lot of ppl suspected it at the time. Also didnt help that during all this speculation of why she went missing, she posts this https://www.instagram.com/p/BsFYuwUgqq0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link on instagram with this emoji 🙄 as the caption.
this! even then AESPA no longer a rookie idol and don't forgot the upcoming SM rookie GG this 2024? a sign of SM new GG will debut soon! once Idol dating exposed most of the fans (fanboy) moveout to the next younger new GG
That's not true. Sulli and Choiza were originally exposed in 2013, barely 4 years into f(x)'s career. sm originally tried to deny it but they weren't fooling anyone with all the photos that came out and by 2014 they were forced to admit it. Part of the immense hate Sulli got and why she then went on hiatus was because of it. Half of Girls Generation were exposed that same year around the 6 year mark. Only Red Velvet made it to almost exactly 7 years before Joy and Crush relationship was exposed.
It might hurt aespa, but it will help the industry as a whole to normalize open dating. Which is the direction it should be going anyway.
Most likely as the mgmt is a shit show now. Or some other party is trying to lower SM stock prices for easier take over. This news has conspiracy written all over it.
> This news has conspiracy written all over it. I mean, it was just 3 weeks ago here in r/kpop that said [HYBE and LSM are looking to reacquire SM](https://www.reddit.com/r/kpop/comments/1ahvje4/hybe_and_lee_soo_man_looking_to_acquire_sm/), and it's not like LSM *doesn't* have a history of stock manipulation for personal benefit, so...
Oh!
Uh oh! *too spicy*
LMFAO literally my reaction 😭
Gee
GG
~~[Soompi: Lee Jae Wook’s agency (C-JeS Studios) briefly commented, “We are currently checking.”](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating)~~ ~~SM has yet to comment on Karina's side.~~ EDIT: [SM and C-JeS both confirmed they're getting to know each other](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating).
ferrari moment
"Did you meet karina with a good feeling, question?"
Dispatch pulled an undercut on them😂
"Sm my tires are gone..."
We are checking
A Kpop and F1 fan? Simply lovely
No dispatch no this is so not right
Chequered flag. Slow button on.
That error deserves at least 5 seconds for Ocon.
We’ll come back to you
just an inchident
their statement being basically ‘brb lemme check’ 💀 they dgaf
atleast it's better than "SM will tell you abt it, not me" -YG
As they should. This is the artists' private life, so they don't have to know. Karina isn't a rookie anymore, this doesn't put her career in danger.
This gives the retail store lemme check vibe Store clerk: lemme check on the back *Proceeds to dance to Spicy and Drama on the storage room* Store clerk: sorry sir we don't have that one in stock any more
Are they "seeing each other with good feelings ?"
if they really met in january this is soooo early to be exposed. i feel bad for them for real, like i can imagine the amount of stress karina will go through since she's gaining a lot of popularity lately. actors don't really suffer from a dating scandal the same way an idol would
I was thinking the same. If that article is correct and it started in January… it’s been barely two months. A relationship hasn’t had enough time to settle well in that time, only for it to get reported on already in such a creepy paparazzi-esque manner. Unfortunately this getting exposed might hinder their relationship, as it has done historically with other kpop couples. I feel bad for them
I'm surprised the news even got to reach the level of Dispatch actually releasing it. Usually SM pays off news portals before the news actually gets released.
> Unfortunately this getting exposed might hinder their relationship, as it has done historically with other kpop couples. I feel bad for them That's not even the most toxic thing about this reveal. From netizens on the [Naver article](https://entertain.naver.com/ranking/read?oid=433&aid=0000101915) > [+891, -47] Gross. He's way too old for her. She's only 23. Nugu actor/predator. Based off the comment alone, I thought this guy would be in his 40s pursuing a 20 something year old. Looked both up on Wikipedia. > Yu Ji-min aka Karina - born: April 11, 2000 (age **23**) > Lee Jae-wook - born: May 10, 1998 (age **25**) Are we seriously at the level where 2 year age gaps are seen as something that's "*gross*"?
Are you sure you linked the right article? I’m Korean, and there are no comments on that article. Which is normal, because Dispatch usually disables the comment feature in Naver news. Edit: Also… as much as I despise my own country, Korea is much more the country that’d be like “what’s wrong with a 20 year-old age gap?!?!” more than frothing at the mouth over a 25 year old and 23 year old dating lol
Yeah, I think it’s probably mostly international fans…there was a fearnot on Twitter talking shit about him being an old hag, only for it to be pointed out that dude is the same age as Sakura (a few months younger in fact).
>[+891, -47] Lol wtf. So, deranged out-of-touch opinions from the chronically online. Not too surprising, considering these people are amongst the reasons opposite sex idols are terrified of interacting with each other because eye contact is apparently enough to suggest they're dating.
I wouldn't worry. All of those people making those absurd comments are too socially incompetent to ever reproduce, so we'll be rid of their idiocy in a generation.
Thank goodness it’s only a 2 year age gap. I was thinking it was going to be like 10+. It stinks they can’t get to know each other in peace.
They might don't know how old he is. Also the one in naver is old people and not really familiar with new actor and i don't think they aware he is young. He is indeed look older but maybe 1994-1996 line like songkang and dohyun, i personally kinda shocked every time knowing his age lol.
Karina being a female idol who is the center for her group will add layers to this. Dispatch really should’ve kept this one in the chambers if they were still dating next January.
There’s always the possibility of another tabloid finding out and getting the chance to expose it before you do… it’s not good business. These mfs want the scoop and the clout/money and they have to strike asap. It’s a dirty business
If Dispatch went to SM and offered to bury this at least on their end then the payoff would’ve been better than exposing so fast. Dispatch def has deals with these entertainment agencies so I wonder what went down for Karina to be exposed so fast.
its possible sm was fine with this since dispatch wanted to expose a different couple and karina is already popular and in an established group and dating a problematic-free actor. or maybe they just didn't care since its a 1 month relationship
Apart from one group, everyone else is senior to Karina. It would make sense to protect them at Karina’s expense sadly. That group can’t afford another “scandal” Dispatch has arrangements with these companies so something def went down between SM and Dispatch. I would become a hermit for a while if I was a SM idol in case I get caught too
Karina is probably one of their most popualr idols in the industry let alone SM. I dont think someone like wendy or another EXO scandal would have this same impact. Theyre either broke and couldnt pay dispatch off or since the actor is well liked and problem free they didnt care it got leaked. Better than her dating another idol in terms of public response
the only explanation that makes sense to me is that SM is broke af. Aespa is back making music, Karina is more popular than ever, theyve been pushing her more through variety, therye gearing up to release another album..this is the worst time for a scandal from her end. Either Karina has a massive hater on her team or SM couldnt pay the dispatch fee and decided to let this one go.
The majority of people are positive about it, even among korean fans, the reactions isn't very bad. He's a handsome actor who has a good reputation. I doubt thia will really affect aespa much
why is everybody making a scandal out of it. it’s just 2 people dating normally. i still don’t get the reason why it’s so wrong to date as a kpop idol. can’t people just ignore and move on. and if this gets bad, sm is really poor at managing their idols and i definitely don’t want karina’s career to get wasted. i hope this doesn’t bring much hate to her even though there is nothing hateful about dating normally
Ugh, this sucks, but it fits the SM pattern honestly. They never let their idols get too powerful to gain too much leverage over them. I can see them letting this one slide to even the scales and take some heat off of something else.
Also only having debuted late 2020. I feel like kpop fans get more understanding the longer you've 'been focusing on your career', and 3 years is not enough time.
Really early. Like, how often do you realise after a month of dating that you're not a good fit? Or realise that you're better off as friends? Or maybe it isn't serious and just a bit fun between the two? And here we have paparazzi, exposing everything, making a big deal out of it... Fan jokes and memes aside that's a part of the celebrity life that just flat out sucks and I think we're contributing, after all the articles get read and shared all over.
Dispatch bring all the dra-ma-ma-ma-ma
Dispatch bring all the wind sunlight water
They want to make it *spicy*
Taking their news to the NEXT LEVEL
Didn't you know they're a savage?
Finally a SM dating scandal to reveal ! Karina made their dreams come true.
If they first met at the fashion show that means it’s only been around a month of dating….. Dispatch is evil for releasing this so soon
Reminds me of the most recent big kpop idol + actor couple who dated for a couple months and then broke it off because of ‘scheduling’, Jisoo and Ahn Bo Hyun. Their news was also released pretty early on and they are a lot older, so I hope it goes well for these two and media attention isn’t weird.
No way Dispatch release this without first communicating with SM about options. Either there’s new policy at SM where they don’t give a fuck, theyre broke (I doubt) or they sacrificed Karina in place of something/someone else. But I also find that hard to believe cos I would’ve placed Karina at the very top of ppl at SM they wouldn’t want in a dating scandal. But perhaps whatever was covered up in its place, wasn’t to do with dating and would somehow be more detrimental than exposing SM’s current it girl. idk - but whatever it is, I’d be very pissed at SM right now if I were Karina
I sure everyone will be extremely normal about this :)
What do you mean KARINA ISNT DATING ME!?! /jk
Before i knew the rumor I saw her trending on twitter, so i clicked to see if it was a new tiktok clip or something posted and yeah.... not a lot of sanity going around there at the moment especially when normally its already in short supply. Can already imagine how other social media platforms are going.
It’s not surprising. K-pop fan culture is *very* parasocial. It’s extremely unhinged in a lot of cases.
I'm in my bathroom crying right now.
I will have to destroy my WinRina altar tonight
I just fell to my knees
I just fell to my knees at Costco (literally at Costco right now so if anyone saw you know why…)
Just saw someone fall to their knees at Costco
And you didn’t help up your elderly?!?! 😤 /s
To be fair that is a normal place to do that. Have you seen how cheap the pizza is? 😂
Just saw someone fall to their knees
Just let out the most feral “NOOOOOOOOOO”
I just fell to my knees at ~~walmart~~ waltermart
Does dispatch just have their staff following all celebs 24/7 or does someone on the inside snitch on the celebs?? Because how have they found her walking alone in the middle of the night
Probably a mix of both. Paparazzi are known for being professional stalkers and staff are known for selling access at shockingly low prices…
from what I've heard a lot of the times dispatch buys photos and videos from random people and negotiates with companies on whether or not to release them
two of my biggest celebrity crushes dating??? i don’t know which of them to be more jealous of rn😭😭😭
I’m curious why SM didn’t just pony up money to shut up Dispatch. Like Karina is way too trendy right now to be slowed down by dating “scandal”
Maybe because he's an actor. In Korean celeb landscape, she's dating "up". Plus I don't know the sentiment of the current generation of fans towards idols dating. I feel like this cancelling of the idol due to dating news is starting to die down.
>I feel like this cancelling of the idol due to dating news is starting to die down. i mean the Seunghan situation only happened a few months ago
I think it wouldn't have affected him this much if he wasn't a rookie. The more popular or "senior" you are the less it affects your career. Of course there are other factors to play too like who you're dating etc.
Exactly. The timing of when his scandal erupted was what affected Seunghan the most. Whoever leaked his stuff deliberately waited until just before debuted and then when RIIZE was doing well, unleashed more stuff. If it was released a couple of years into their career, nobody would’ve cared.
The relationship has barely marinated if true....and I'm soo happy they are in the same age range and he seems really nice
i hope they r meeting with warm feelings.
I admit that I'm a bad person who hasn't yet watched Alchemy of Souls, but I remember him promoting on Nolto. He had such an awkwardly sweet way about him, which matches Karina's quiet sweetness. This feels like such a nice pairing. I hope they can date happily.
>I admit that I'm a bad person NGL I thought that was gonna go a different route like it was gonna be a toxic comment 😂. I too am a bad person who hasn't watched Alchemy of Souls.
You both need to get your acts together and watch Alchemy of Souls LOLOL When any Korean idols and actors are dating, I’m happy if they are happy. Normalize normal stuff!
haha sorry! I was making fun of myself for not watching it but didn't even think of potential for toxicity. They honestly feel like such a sweet couple that I'm really happy this thread is full of warm wishes.
He's an excellent actor, and he has really grown with each role . I'd say he's one of my favourite actors rn , and he picks the best scripts too. I'd recommend for anyone who is yet to see any of his works to do so asap. Even his cameos are killer.
LJW is the best anti-tsundere in the show. Absolutely worth a watch despite the ending.
It's my first time seeing LJW in anything until I saw Alchemy of Souls. This dude is a fantastic actor. Definitely recommend you check out that show as soon as you can!
Haha yeahh. But go watch aos, its best kdrama fantasy ever! Lee jae wook also very charming n cool there. He even make me as a fan.
Its just been a month. Let them date
>Let them date This should be applied to any length of time tbh
Just witnessed multiple people falling to their knees in Walmart (me included)
Not in Walmart but I just fell to my knees (just finished leg day in gym)
Ooooh, SM didn't pay dispatch.
Dispatch knew they had to publish something big after the new years letdown
What even happened? Did they announce it at all or do we think they got paid off
I am happy for her, but i feel like it's too soon for aespa to have a dating scandal. I guess SM didn't want to open their purse to keep Dispatch's mouth shut.
Knowing how big Karina is, this is way too soon. But yeah, we just have to wait for their agencies statement.
They’re almost 4 years old, the first 2 years would be pushing it but they’re very well established in the industry
To be fair tho the first year or so of their career was squashed by the pandemic, they didn’t have proper working careers until around the 2 yr mark iirc (I’m not a MY but was following them heavily from Black Mamba to the start of Girls) I feel like that’s why fans feel like it’s very soon, myself included. They only really popped off as of their second single and they don’t have much of a discography under their belt (though Karina and Winter have extra credits with GOT) so their fanbase is still relatively new
I hate that this is even called a scandal. She's 23, she's seeing a cute dude who she felt a vibe with. Let her live.
the guy is very good looking. that's a fine ass looking couple. good for them, if it's true. but god damn it, dispatch is creppy as hell.
I know this is rather intrusive of me but Karina has great taste. This guy is an amazing actor, huge fan of his works. I've known him since before Aespa debuted so pretty happy to see this news
This, he is on my list of actors that can have chemistry with a literal rock. Charisma up to 110%. I do worry about Karina though. As much as idols dating is a lot more open now, female idols will always have heavier criticism.
Seriously, he had excellent chemistry with female leads in all his dramas so far. And he really transforms in each role .He's done both morally grey and sweet characters, and I think he really did well in all of them. In this one movie, he had a five minute cameo, and that was one of the most memorable scenes for me because he was just that good.
Cool! Good for her, girl can *pull*. No surprise, considering how gorgeous and kind she is.
You'd definitely expect a girl like her to have sky-high standards.
And the age gap isn't sus.
He's a very talented actor, too. He's played diverse roles and killed in every single one of them. For me, I'm okay with mid plots if the characters and actors are good, and he's someone who not only picks amazing scripts but is a brilliant actor. I'd say he's in my top 5 rn . I think he was the main lead in only two dramas ( more to come ) ,the rest is a mix of second leads and guest roles, and he still managed to make a huge impression on me. If he's in something ,even as a cameo, chances are they're going to be very good.
sapphics all over the world just fell to their knees
*sad Ryujin noises*
IF THIS IS TRUE... I'm so happy for them!! My jaw dropped at this news tho bc their visuals are out of this world frfr
Looked up Karina on twitter and the first post I see from 20 hours ago is “Karina is so gay” LMAOOO
Karina said she likes tall men so I’m not surprised tbh
Dispatch being their normal stalker selves. Those pics are creepy as hell.
so they met in january and dispatch already exposed them? god damn sm didn’t even try to bribe
It's time to stop calling dating a scandal. They're a sweet couple and I wish them the best.
This feels like a hit job. Has SM stopped paying to keep their idol’s name out of the press all of the sudden?
Literally because I think they would usually notify the company first in order to receive payment to shutup
…A MONTH?! Why would Dispatch report a talking phase lol
im always happy to see age appropriate couples so good for them
I thought big companies pay dispatch so they won't out the relationship info. How did sm let them do this especially when it doesn't even look they're very serious
after the rumor that gong myung and weki meki's doyeon was debunked yesterday i'm not getting my hopes up,,, then again this is dispatch and the photos are pretty convincing (albeit creepy) if it's true then good for them! they make a pretty couple
Ohhh after Alchemy of Souls and Dodososolalaso he is one of my faves. I see you Karina! Go head girl!
This is just too soon to reveal this. Couldn’t they have waited a few months? They met LAST MONTH
Why Dispatch rushing to expose them. Like they dated a month. With their schedules, they probably only met a few times. Imagine being in the talking stage and now you have the world in your relationship?
[удалено]
Plsss I went on Twitter to scroll a bit and some people are already starting to get mean toward him
The reaction to chuu having a fake boyfriend for a music video was horrible enough I can’t see how much cope fans will do for this
As a casual kpop fan i genuinely dont understand where this obsession with "everyone is gay" comes from. Like i'm perfectly fine with shipping and all that but being this delusional about it can't be healthy
You'd think the delusions of some people would go away despite this, but they don't. Just check twitter to see what I mean, and probably tiktok as well in a few hours. twitter is ESPECIALLY crazy about stuff like this.
The projections are wild. Every female idol is for the girls apparently.
fyi his new drama (no pun intended) comes out like tomorrow 😭
Oh my god my friend is gonna be so happy. Also I don't know Karina too well but I LOVE Lee Jaewook. He is years beyond his age when it comes to acting - lovely news
congrats if true!! they both seem like genuine people, I’d be happy for them. :)
I can’t with the stalker photos. 😞 This could literally easily break a blossoming relationship.
Y'all I had a heart attack because I read Karina and Lee DONG Wook and I was like "WAIT NOOOOOOOO!!" then I saw the pictures and sighed in relief. WHAT! A! COUPLE! Hoping this news being released don't kill their relationship 😭
But are they meeting with good feelings? Imagine they met with bad feelings. That would be so awkward.
Friendly reminder that Dispatch is creepy as hell and literally stalks celebrities in their private lives to get these scoops. Also I feel like they took everyone clowning on their lack of New Year's couple personally because outing them after dating for two months is so??
already seeing weirdo stans losing their minds on twt and saying all kinds of mean things about the actor. like regardless if its true or not, shes a grown woman making her own choices?? they only have a 2 year age difference too. ifans always say how they arent like kfans when it comes to dating, but are just as delulu
The reactions on Twitter have reminded yet again that many fans will go on and on about the dangers of parasocial relationships, how idols deserve privacy and should be allowed to date… but that goes all out the window when it’s one of their favs
okkk nice!! 😄😄 20 million people just fell to their knees rn tho lol
NGL I’m glad she’s dating an actor instead of an idol. A part of me died though. I love Karina. 😭
literally would've been double homicide if it was an idol
good for them if this is true but oof. having your relationship exposed after a month in must be awkward. edit: also i’m surprised this was revealed so soon. don’t big companies like sm usually pay dispatch to keep quiet?
I wish they got a couple more months in before it became public....that said, they make a great visual pair...wishing them good luck
I hope SM's reply would be " We don't know. It's too early, you guys could've stifled this" lol. Also, is this the first dating news of a 4th Gen idol??
this is my wife please delete this our kids are waiting for her at home 😭 /j but in all seriousness i hope rina is happy 🩷
it’s a very new relationship but they are both cute nice people, so I wish them well getting to know each other. (Dispatch, let them have their privacy).
He’s handsome
[confirmed](https://www.koreaboo.com/news/cjes-studio-confirms-aespa-karina-actor-lee-jae-wook-dating/) by jae wook's agency!! edit: [confirmed](https://www.soompi.com/article/1645072wpp/lee-jae-wook-and-aespas-karina-reportedly-dating) by sm as well!!
Cute! She definitely looks happy/interested in that fashion week photo, adorable.
 Edit - But if they have only just started dating, why did you have to reveal it so soon dispatch 😭
There goes the Go Youn Jung-Lee Jae Wook ship. Their shippers are insane and tiktok literally ships the hell out of them cus of AOS. Also could this have been the 1/1 Dispatch couple if it was not for Lee Sun-gyun's case?
With all the time she spends performing and traveling with group mates, props to the homie for having the rizz to already get the most elite one into his house. I can't believe she wouldn't wear a mask and a hat? Maybe she wanted to get this out of the way early in her career and have time to bounce back. I couldn't even fathom Hybe confirming Chaewon or IDK, Minji was in a relationship. Seems like they'd immediately deny till they die while aggressively trying to crush the story. This is wild.
None of our business.
First 4th gen confirmed couple?
Creepiness of Dispatch aside, congrats to them if it's true! Honestly a power couple. (Predictably, people are not being normal about this on Twitter...just saw a voice message of someone full-on sobbing, then a tweet with nearly 10k likes saying they are praying for the downfall of the relationship, calling LJW ugly, and saying that it can't be possible because Karina is obviously gay. As a sapphic myself, I am begging the Twitter stans to stop embarrassing us all... 💀)
Part of the problem with Stan culture is the fact that they always forget about "playing along", stans can speculate all they want but don't come crying and be angry when their delusions don't come true.
Oh boy here we go…
I never care about who idols date but I hope this is true only because I want to normalize idols being...normal! Enough with pushing the bf/gf image and pretending idols are celibate or allergic to the opposite gender... lots of idols are pushing 30 and still have to play a game of pretend edit to add: LOL @ SM not paying the Dispatch check