Eric Denies Dating Jeon Somi: K-Pop Stars Plagued by Overseas Rumors

K-pop stars are being caught up in dating rumors that start overseas, with clickbait sites posing as K-pop media passing them along to English-speaking readers. Such rumors have emerged from both China and Japan. Once they reach English-language sites built for clicks, unverified claims can spread fast and force artists and their agencies into public damage control.

THE BOYZ member Eric recently denied a dating rumor linking him to singer Jeon Somi. The rumor began when a social media user, reported to be Chinese, posted a photo of the two together and claimed they were dating. On Aug. 25, Eric addressed fans directly through the fan communication platform Fromm.

"She asked me for a favor, so I stopped by briefly," he wrote. "She's just someone I know from the industry, nothing more than that." Eric said he wanted to address fans directly because he was worried they would feel anxious. "I'm sorry to any fans who were hurt, even though that was never my intention," he added.

BIGBANG's G-Dragon went through a similar situation with a China-origin rumor. In 2024, photos that appeared to be taken at the same location as former Miss Korea contestant and influencer Kim Go-eun sparked speculation that the two were dating. His agency, Galaxy Corporation, denied it at the time, saying G-Dragon and Kim Go-eun were not in a relationship. The agency explained that the two simply had mutual acquaintances and that the dating claim was a rumor that spread out of China.

LE SSERAFIM's Kazuha and &TEAM's K were pulled into a Japan-origin rumor. In April 2024, the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported that the two had met at a restaurant and suggested they were dating. Kazuha's agency, Source Music, denied the report on April 3, saying the two were not in a relationship. The agency said the two did share a meal but met as friends.

Cleaning up a rumor takes far more work than starting one. Even when the story begins with a single post, an agency has to reach the artist, confirm what happened, and decide whether and how to respond. In some cases, artists also address fans directly to explain what happened and reassure them. For Eric, that included an apology to fans on top of the denial.

Another issue is how much private information ends up in public. Eric had to say who asked him to show up. Kazuha's side had to explain the nature of the friendship behind the meal. To knock down a dating rumor, artists and their teams are pushed into sharing details of private meetings they would not normally discuss.

For idols whose careers rest on fan support, a dating rumor can do real damage. There is always a chance it could drive fans away, so even false claims are hard to brush off. The burden of correcting the record and containing the fallout falls on the artist and the agency. Making it harder, some English-language sites that present themselves as K-pop media function more like clickbait operations, helping spread unverified dating claims to wider audiences.