The dating culture of K-pop idols has long been a topic of debate between fans and media alike.
However, with the latest news of Kang Daniel, the former member of K-pop group Wanna One, and girl group TWICE’s leader Jihyo dating breaking, there is a positive change in attitude.
On Monday, 5th August, Dispatch, the Korean tabloid revealed that the two K-pop idols had been dating since January of 2019.
TWICE under the JYP Entertainment label is a popular 9 membered girl group in South Korea with Park Jihyo (Jisoo) acting as the leader.
Kang Daniel was previously a member of the much liked boy group Wanna One which disbanded late 2018. He is now a solo artist running his own label Konnect Entertainment.
According to Dispatch, they had been spotted various time on dates including the day Daniel debuted as a solo artist on July 25th.
Why This Is Different?
First of all, the attitude of both the agencies was immediately to accept the relationship and release statements pertaining to it.
JYP Entertainment and KONNECT Entertainment both stated that, “They (Kang Daniel and Jihyo) are currently meeting with interest in each other.”
But perhaps more interesting to see was the reaction from the fans themselves, especially from the females since Daniel for that matter was quite popular among the female fans.
Dating is always a sensitive issue in K-pop industry with many artists choosing to hide their relationships, knowing the negative backlash that awaits them once it is revealed.
However, this time around many of the international and even South Korean fans were quite positive to the news.
Where some were celebrating and congratulating the couple, others were making jokes and memes of the whole situation.
https://twitter.com/jeongraejepsen/status/1158666613903593472
https://twitter.com/Jiminsgrapes/status/1158610527725207554
daniel and jihyo, attending the same event:
— mi (@shadysaida) August 6, 2019
twice members: https://t.co/ubaUuQR6pi
https://twitter.com/twicesjeong/status/1158570756500013056
I REPEAT THIS FOR LIKE 30 TIMES ? HAHAHHAHAHA JUST LOOK AT BOTH OF THEM HAHAHHAHAHAHA TRYNNA COVER ? 😂 #KangDaniel #jihyo pic.twitter.com/LHbsmjR7ys
— Kang Daniel (@kangdaniel011) August 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/7th_soulchild/status/1158365353879179265
kang daniel fans calling jihyo their "first lady" tryna protect her pic.twitter.com/1mWi3fQ1ml
— saw twice #zyolo #MiSaMo (@hiMoMotamus) August 5, 2019
https://twitter.com/KangDaniel9689/status/1158236503106916352
https://twitter.com/eunhasvt/status/1158233209265631235
Please date happily 😘.. And dispatch, please give them privacy and let them be happy.. They are soooo cute together 😍
— TheDreamer 🍑 (@GeliPeach) August 5, 2019
And it seems they are supporting each other through the hard times, they deserve to be happy.. It's 2019, dating shouldn't be considered as scandal
Thank you Jihyo. Seeing Daniel's seemingly happy disposition even after all the hardships he has been through and is still going through, I am thankful for the people who believes in him and cares for him, loves him. He needs all the love on the world right now.
— WantOneDaniel (@wannaonedanyel) August 5, 2019
Looking at Naver articles about Jihyo it seems Korean top comments are generally supportive so far and the reception is mostly positive. I’m glad and hope it stays that way ㅠㅠ ♥️
— misa •ᴗ• (rest) (@misayeon) August 5, 2019
Top comments
— Bibi (@incessantbeat) August 5, 2019
"I think Kang Daniel and Twice Jihyo suit each other well. Really congrats on your relationship. I wish you a beautiful love life."
"Those 2 suit each other. They had such a hard time since last year, but they got each other for consolation. I'll support them" pic.twitter.com/ynCW4O77VB
In an unusual twist, DC Insider, an online community of Kang Daniel fans also released their own statement after the news broke out. They stated that they will always support Kang Daniel and in fact were thankful of Jihyo for supporting him during his difficult times.
Read More: Why & How K-Pop Fans Get Almost Hostile If They Find Out That Their Idols Are Even In A ‘Normal Relationship’
Not just that, but fans also created threads and posts that informed the other fandom about one of the partner. So Kang Daniel fans created informative posts about Jihyo and TWICE while Jihyo fans created posts about Kang Daniel.
Besides that, fans iterated that their main goal here is not to focus on the private lives of the idols but their music.
Dating is good but don't forget to hype the highest sales news 🎉
— Daniel's ʚDanityɞ ♥️ Paranoia (@Danitywiz) August 5, 2019
While there were some K-netizens who were commenting some negative things, it was nonetheless a very good change to see most of the fans being supportive of the two.
Along with that also bringing back the attention of fans to their main purpose which is the musical career of their favoured artist and not what they do in their private time is a welcome move.
It shows a healthy progress in the mindset of K-pop fans and how they deal with such news.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Soompi, Allkpop, Twitter
Find the blogger @chirali_08
Let’s be honest- That’s because Kang Daniel and Jihyo are the biggest names in K-pop right now. Don’t you remember Suzy and Lee Minho? No one had a problem with that.
Meanwhile just today Heechul’s and Momo’s news got ripped by Onces. Sure it was fake, but before JYP and SJ Label confirmed, you had Onces calling Heechul a cradle-robber (she’s legal) and a pedophile. Meanwhile, you also had some non SJ/Twice fans calling Momo a gold-digger since Heechul is known to have connections in the industry.
So yeah, we need to take this all with a pinch of salt.