Fans Outraged Over Lee Yi-kyung’s Inappropriate Comment Allegedly Shipping Aespa’s Winter with Underage Celebrity

In recent episodes of ENA’s variety show Country Life of Gen-Z, actor Lee Yi-kyung, known for his role in Marry My Husband, has come under fire for an inappropriate comment about aespa’s Winter and underaged celebrity Jung Dong-won. The series, which merges urban and rural experiences, showcases K-pop idols alongside various other celebrities.

The latest episodes welcomed guest appearances from aespa’s Winter and (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon, alongside a cast that includes Song Geon-hee, Yang Se-chan, Lee Eun-ji, and actor-singer Jung Dong-won.

In a recent episode, Winter was shown struggling with fish bones, prompting 17-year-old Jung Dong-won to assist her. Unbeknownst to them, Lee Yi-kyung captured a moment with a Polaroid and later presented it to Dong-won with a comment insinuating that he preferred older women, calling the photo a “gift.”

The combination of this remark and the non-consensual nature of the photo has sparked widespread backlash. A user on X, @aekvrna, expressed frustration:

“Taking a picture of two people together without permission and only giving it to one person saying ‘you like older women, right? here’s a gift’ is so fucking stupid?? treating winter like she is some type of gift omf this is pissing me off.”

“this is how korean men think. that women are just objects for their consumption,”a netizen commented.

“That actor is living up to his roles being a creep, annoying and anti-hero in kdramas,”another user mentioned.

“words cannot express how pissed off I am,”a person remarked.

“actually free winter from working with those weirdos because wtf is this???”another X user wrote.

Fans have also voiced discomfort at the prospect of pairing 23-year-old Winter with 17-year-old Dong-won, deeming it unsettling. Additionally, the caption labeling the photo as a “gift”compounded the oddness, especially since Winter pointed at herself.

“it should be enough to raise eyebrows especially with the caption but he was also saying Winter and this boy who was born in 2007 and is a minor look good together,”a netizen commented.

“JUST FOUND OUT THE GUY IS AN 07? WHAT THE F*CK,”an X user expressed.

More about the show and aespa’s Winter’s latest updates

ENAs variety show City Z Goes to the Countryside is garnering attention for its unique premise of city celebrities navigating rural life. This “hipster”variety show offers a mix of urban and countryside experiences and features a regular cast including Yang Se-chan, Lee Eun-ji, Lee Yi-kyung, Song Geon-hee, Jung Dong-won, and Cho Mi-yeon.

The show is set for ten episodes, with future guest appearances from notable personalities such as (G)I-DLE’s Miyeon, NCT 127’s Kim Jung-woo, and IZ*ONE’s Kwon Eun-bi.

Meanwhile, aespa’s Winter, who has recently been in the spotlight, will co-host the second day of the inaugural ‘Korea Grand Music Awards’ with Nam Ji Hyun. The idol was also spotted at the Ralph Lauren 2025 ready-to-wear collection show in New York, accompanied by actress Krystal and actor Ryu Joon-yeol.

The third episode of this intriguing series is scheduled to air on September 22, 2024.

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