“Winter has been strangely obsessed with her phone”: aespa’s Winter criticized by netizens for poor conduct

aespa’s Winter is in the limelight again, but this time, it is not for the best reasons. The idol is currently the subject of criticism for overusing her cellphone.

A video titled "Controversy over aespa Winter's attitude during the broadcast, scenes of her getting caught dating" was on YouTube by YouTuber Sojang on July 10. The video in question chastises Winter's behavior on the episode of MBC's "Omniscient Interfering View" that aired on the 9th and featured the K-pop girls' group.

In the video, the YouTuber noted that the 21-year-old K-pop sensation behaved unprofessionally during the talk show and seemed strangely obsessed with her phone. Further, they noted that Winter was the only person from the quartet who remained glued to her phone.

"Yesterday, aespa made an appearance on a show that revealed their dorm. Among the members, Winter seemed unable to let go of her cellphone throughout the broadcast. Out of the 4 members, Winter was the only one who did that.”

The YouTuber also noted that the version of the episode aired was highly edited, and yet the idol’s obsession with her phone was discernible.

"Even though the show was edited a lot, there are so many scenes of Winter on her phone... Winter has been strangely obsessed with her phone. Unlike the other members who greeted their fans at the airport for their showcase in the US, she waved her hand and went on her phone."

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Dating rumors around aespa’s Winter due to over-use of phone

aespa’s Winter’s recent addiction to her cell phone has not only displeased netizens who believe such behavior is objectionable, but it has also given rise to several speculations about the idol’s dating life.

In a recent video uploaded by YouTuber Sojang, Winter’s behavior during an episode of the popular television chat show The Manager hosted by MBC was critiqued and analyzed.

While Sojang primarily criticized the idol’s obsession with her phone and consequent absent-mindedness, they also noted that the K-pop vocalist was not scrolling on social media platforms and could constantly be seen communicating with someone via text.

"When Winter is on her phone, she doesn't scroll down to surf the web, but she keeps typing and contacting someone. Even when aespa were getting on stage, she could be scene opening the KakaoTalk app. "

Continuing, it was also observed that the idol did not respond to her fans on Bubble, a paid platform similar to a messenger app that enables fans to communicate with their favorite celebrities.

"It doesn't make sense to take your cellphone with you when you're filming on stage. You have to leave your cellphone behind to dance anyway, but it's not the right attitude for a celebrity to show off they're dating while filming a show. What's more shocking is that Winter, who didn't let go of her cellphone during filming, hasn't sent a 'bubble' message to her fans recently."

Sojang continued by saying that even during aespa's speech at the prestigious United Nations, she could not let go of her cellphone. This behavior concerns the YouTuber much like other netizens, and they are prompted to ask,

"Isn't this serious?"

Several netizens have expressed their displeasure with the idol. Netizens have commented:

"If I were her manager, I'd tap her phone and make it drop on the floor.”

Others said:

“I've never seen someone only touch their phone on a show so much."

Other speculations on the internet are that Winter is dating NCT’s Jaehyun, which is why the idol seems so distracted.

“It's Winter's boyfriend, NCT's Jaehyun. Don't hurt each other, and date each other for a long time."

Winter has yet to acknowledge the backlash or the state a reason for her distraction.