Lee Yi Kyung has gotten into trouble for his seemingly invasive and inappropriate behavior towards aespa’s Winter!
On September 15, the second episode of the travel variety show City Z Goes to Countryside aired on ENA. aespa’s Winter and (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon appeared as the inaugural guests on the show, with Miyeon later joining as a regular member.
During the show, when Winter and trot singer Jung Dong Won were busy preparing for dinner, Lee Yi Kyung took a photo of the two without their consent.
Then, he hands over the Polaroid to Dong Won saying, “Dongwon-ah, you said you liked older women, right? It’s a gift you punk.”
The 23-year-old aespa member seemed visibly surprised at his remarks, pointing at herself. MYs were outraged at his careless remarks and for giving the photo to Dong Won, who is still a minor (17).
Fans commented, “Weird af do they see women as an object,” “Can we save Minjeong (Winter’s real name) from Korean men please,” and “Taking photos without permission and presenting them like that is inappropriate and disrespectful.”
Amidst the backlash, some fans argue that Lee Yi Kyung’s actions were misinterpreted. They claim she appeared to be enjoying herself on the show and he interacts respectfully with the idols.
NCT’s Jungwoo and Kwon Eunbi are set to appear as guests on the next episode of City Z Goes to Countryside, which airs every Sunday at 8:30 PM KST.