When BIGBANG’s G-Dragon sent congratulatory flowers to IVE’s Wonyoung on October 31, 2025, for her group’s world tour kickoff, K-pop fans had mixed reactions. While most celebrated the heartwarming gesture between senior and junior artists, some criticized the 37-year-old icon for repeatedly sparking unfounded dating rumors with younger female idols through his social media activity.
The flowers, sent to congratulate Wonyoung on IVE’s second world tour “Show What I Am,” came with a playful note referencing their APEC 2025 promotional collaboration: “We’re up all night to get lucky! Show them what you’ve got!”
Table of Contents
G-Dragon’s Controversy at a Glance
| Event Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | October 31, 2025 |
| Occasion | IVE’s World Tour Launch |
| G-Dragon’s Age | 37 years old |
| Wonyoung’s Age | 21 years old |
| Connection | APEC 2025 Korea Summit Campaign |
| Fan Reaction | Mostly positive, some critical |
| Tour Venue | KSPO Dome, Seoul (Oct 31-Nov 2) |
The Heartwarming Gesture
On October 31, 2025, Wonyoung posted a photo of the bouquet on social media with a playful message referencing their recent APEC promotional clip where Wonyoung asks about moving planes and G-Dragon appears dressed as a pilot. The card included wordplay on IVE’s “XOXZ,” stylized as “Xoxg”.
The interaction quickly spread across Korean online communities, where netizens expressed surprise and admiration over the connection between the two stars, with many pointing out they previously appeared together in an APEC campaign.
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Why Some Fans Were Concerned
The flower gesture itself wasn’t controversial—the concern stemmed from G-Dragon’s pattern of social media interactions with younger female idols that unintentionally spark baseless dating rumors. G-Dragon recently liked a post by aespa’s Karina shortly after news of her breakup became public, and fans noticed he had followed her on Instagram.
The situation escalated when G-Dragon tagged TWICE’s Sana in an Instagram story during a Coldplay concert and then deleted it. Previously, he used Wonyoung’s sticker on his Instagram story, which ended up causing dating rumor articles to come out, with MiuMiu eventually denying the rumors while G-Dragon remained silent.
When Wonyoung’s team at Miu Miu had to step in saying the dating rumors were false, G-Dragon stayed completely silent, leaving the younger artist to handle the fallout alone.
Fans Rush to Defend G-Dragon
Despite concerns, the majority of Korean netizens defended G-Dragon’s supportive gesture. A viral post discussing the interaction gathered thousands of views on Pann, with comments like “G-Dragon really takes good care of the people around him” and “Both G-Dragon and Jang Wonyoung are so likable”.
Supporters argued the reactions are overblown and that he’s just being friendly and expressive, as he has always been, pointing to his long-standing friendships with female idols like IU, CL, and Dara.
One fan wrote: “GD Has Always Been Friends With Many FM Idols From CL, Dara, IU, SooJoo, Rosé, Kim go eun etc so I don’t get why ppl are making this a big deal he’s more quiet on the ones he dates.”
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The APEC Connection Matters
The flowers weren’t random—G-Dragon and Wonyoung worked together earlier in 2025 on promotional videos for the APEC 2025 Korea Summit. Fans were delighted to see the duo’s supportive friendship flourish outside the project, with IVE’s fandom expressing gratitude to G-Dragon for supporting his junior artist.
In Korean entertainment culture, senior artists (sunbaes) often send congratulatory flowers and messages to junior artists (hoobae) for major career milestones. This tradition represents mentorship, professional respect, and industry camaraderie—not romantic interest.
G-Dragon’s 2025 Comeback Year
In October 2024, after a seven-year hiatus, G-Dragon made a solo comeback with the release of his single “Power,” switching from YG Entertainment to Empire Distribution after his contract expired. In November, he released another single featuring BIGBANG members Taeyang and Daesung called “Home Sweet Home”.
In February 2025, the idol released his third studio album “Übermensch,” and embarked on a world tour in support of the album, which kicked off in March 2025—his first concert tour in eight years.
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IVE’s Historic World Tour
IVE released their fourth EP “Ive Secret” in August, which includes the song “XOXZ” as its title track, and has now kick-started its world tour “Show What I Am” with a three-day inaugural show at the KSPO Dome in Seoul.
In July, IVE made history as the first K-pop girl group to perform at the Berlin edition of the Lollapalooza music festival, and also performed at the Paris edition, becoming the first K-pop girl group to perform at Lollapalooza for two consecutive years across three cities.
The Broader Social Media Debate
The incident highlights ongoing conversations about how male celebrities’ casual social media interactions can inadvertently harm younger female artists. Many questioned why he would tag only certain female idols, especially given his history of unintentionally sparking similar rumors.
However, defenders note: “There’s so much going on in the world to worry about, but you’re worried about an artist who likes anything and fills his posts with gifs.”
The debate continues about whether senior male artists should be more cautious with social media interactions, or whether fans should stop creating narratives from innocent supportive gestures.
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What This Means for K-pop Culture
The incident reveals the double-edged sword of K-pop’s tight-knit community. While senior artists mentoring and supporting juniors is cherished tradition, the intense scrutiny from fans and media can turn innocent gestures into controversies.
Both G-Dragon and Wonyoung deserve to maintain professional friendships without baseless speculation. The flower gesture represents exactly what it appears to be: a successful senior artist encouraging a rising star at a major career milestone.
FAQs
Q: Are G-Dragon and IVE’s Wonyoung dating?
A: No, there is no credible evidence that G-Dragon and Wonyoung are dating. The congratulatory flowers G-Dragon sent for IVE’s world tour were a professional gesture between senior and junior artists who worked together on the APEC 2025 Korea Summit promotional campaign. In Korean entertainment culture, it’s common for senior artists (sunbaes) to send flowers and messages to junior artists (hoobae) for major career milestones like tour launches, album releases, or award wins. This tradition represents professional support and industry mentorship, not romantic interest. Previous dating rumors sparked by social media interactions have been denied by representatives, and fans largely recognize the gesture as wholesome support between colleagues.
Q: Why do G-Dragon’s social media interactions keep causing controversy?
A: G-Dragon’s social media interactions spark controversy because he’s a high-profile second-generation K-pop icon whose casual engagement with content—liking posts, following accounts, tagging people—gets intensely scrutinized by fans and media. Unlike dating his past relationships privately, his public social media support for various female artists (including aespa’s Karina, TWICE’s Sana, and IVE’s Wonyoung) has repeatedly led to unfounded dating speculation articles. Critics argue he should be more cautious knowing his actions affect younger female idols who face harassment from the resulting rumors, while defenders point out he maintains long-standing platonic friendships with many female idols (IU, CL, Dara) and shouldn’t have to censor innocent supportive gestures. The controversy reflects broader K-pop culture tensions between maintaining professional relationships and avoiding speculation in an industry where fan culture heavily monitors every interaction.
