Lee Yi-kyung Criticized for “Shipping” aespa Member Winter with a Minor

Recently, aespa’s Winter, singer-actor Jung Dong-won, and “Marry My Husband”actor Lee Yi-kyung participated in the variety show “Country Life of Gen-Z”(also known as “City Z Goes to the Countryside”).

In episode 2 of the show, Jung Dong-won, a self-proclaimed fan of Winter, is seen helping her with food preparation.

During this segment, Lee Yi-kyung can be observed discreetly capturing images of the duo with a Polaroid camera, which he later presents to Jung Dong-won as “a gift.”

Haven’t really had access to internet these days so I missed a lot… I’m so mad these boys are treating Winter like an object Lee Yi Kyung: “Dong Won-ah, you said you like older women, right? It’s a gift, you punk.” 🎁 A polaroid of him and Winterpic.twitter.com/CEg9s9eHZF

— Jazz (@mjkmwntr) September 17, 2024

He also provocatively asked Dong-won, “You said you like older women, right?”, seemingly teasing the pair about potential romantic interests.

However, considering that Dong-won is a minor (17 years old) and Winter is 23, and was unaware of the photos being taken, many fans from both Korea and internationally have described Lee Yi-kyung’s behavior as unsettling.

“It’s troubling how he interprets their interactions, saying things like ‘you like older women, right?’. This kid is a 07-liner… and then he goes on to treat Winter as a present for him,” commented one netizen.

Another user expressed their outrage: “What I find most disturbing is the act of taking pictures of the two without permission and then giving it to only one individual. Then claiming ‘It’s a gift’? Is she an object…? Is she a gift…? If a man gave a photo of me to another man without my consent… Wouldn’t you be furious? I’m upset. I don’t believe she’s smiling because she’s really happy in that moment.”

Source: Krb, X

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