"It’s Not True": aespa’s Winter Shuts Down Rumors of Pet Shop Adoption

K-POP group aespa's Winter has personally explained how she came to adopt her new puppy, addressing fan speculation about the dog's origins.

The singer shared the rescue story during a live broadcast on a fan platform on the 23rd. Speaking with fans, Winter said the puppy came from an animal shelter.

She explained that the dog had been at an auction house and, after going unsold, was at risk of being sent to a breeding facility. The puppy was eventually rescued and taken in by a shelter, and Winter adopted the dog from there.

Winter had first introduced the puppy on her personal social media on the 18th, sharing glimpses of their life. One photo showed the dog lying down. Another caught the puppy playing with Winter. She also posted a picture of the puppy sleeping with its eyes open, asking fans whether she should gently close them, and at one point wrote, "How do you train a baby puppy not to nip?" She kept the exchange light, adding playful captions to a photo of the dog staring up at her.

The posts drew quick attention online, but not all of it was welcome. Because the puppy is a purebred, some viewers speculated that Winter had bought the dog from a pet shop or auction, prompting her to walk through the actual adoption process on her live broadcast. The response appears tied to growing public concern in South Korea over how pets are bred and sold, a topic that has drawn sharper scrutiny in recent months.