HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / K-POP NEWS

Is J-hope dating Irene? Fans notice model at solo events of BTS star

With Irene flying to Chicago for J-hope's Lollapalooza performance and the BTS star sporting items from her brand, a dating rumor has cropped up

It looks like 2022 is the year of BTS dating rumors and fans cannot seem to escape them. From BTS’ V being linked to Blackpink’s Jennie to J-hope being paired up with Rosé, it was pretty chaotic. We then had fans reading into BTS’ words when RM described Jin’s house as a newlyweds and wondered if the eldest BTS member was married or had a fiancee. Their company HYBE also had to step in and deny that RM was getting married while fans crushed the rumors that Jimin was dating actress Song Da-eun. And now, the latest dating rumor involves J-hope and model Irene Kim.

Irene Kim is a popular model who is much sought-after in the Korean fashion industry. However, she also started catching the eye of BTS fans after she was recently seen at J-hope’s solo debut listening party. While fans did not have much to comment on their friendship, her recent whereabouts have Knetizens wondering if Irene is dating the BTS star. While the listening party was a social gathering, she was also again present at J-hope’s solo schedules. She flew to Chicago to attend his Lollapalooza performance and was also in New York with him when he visited the KAWS studio.

READ MORE
J-hope gets magazine cover for solo debut, BTS fans say 'I'm going to eat the wallpaper'

BTS J-hope's solo debut listening party: List of all K-pop and KHH stars that attended

Is J-hope dating Irene Kim?

Inquisitive fans dug in further and realised that she had also attended a BTS concert in 2018 and taken photos with J-hope and the rest of the group. Irene and J-hope were also seen at the airport recently when he returned to South Korea after his US schedules. They also sport similar items like matching rings, hoodies, shoes and phone cases from Irene's brand that had Knetz claiming that those were couple items. This has led to many wondering if they are dating or just good friends. It has also led to a divide among fans as some are congratulating J-hope while others are claiming that Irene already has a boyfriend – ChaJkaw, a staff member of W Korea.

We had some fans supporting the alleged couple as they left comments like, “I hope that they keep on getting schedules together in the future too,” and “I thought that it was Hollywood wow... both of them match so well like some main characters at a part.” However, with Irene also being the name of a popular female idol of the group Red Velvet, some joked, “No but I am not the only who thought it was a Red Velvet member and was flabbergasted. Aside from that, it seems our dear Knetz cant handle men haveing women as friends lol. Its not that hard, chill..”

Similarly, another had added, “I thought she's Irene, turned out she's Irene.” One fan made a reaction meme if the rumor turned out to be true, “BREAKING: BTS’s J-HOPE reportedly in a relationship with Korean-American model Irene Kim.”

‘If you don’t like it, you can go’

However, some fans think that they are just close friends. One fan wrote, “I love how Model Irene Kim went to Chicago for Lollapalooza to support J-hope. Their friendship is.” Another shared, “J-Hope is in New York with his friends model Irene Kim and W Korea's Editor in Chief, Hyejoo Woo. They visited Kaws studio. I love to see him smile so brightly.” One commented, “Irene: 🌈🏳️‍🌈❤️Omg YASSSSS 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 j-hope SLAYYYYY🔥🔥🔥🔥straight people: they're dating????🤭 guys......” Another fan claimed that Irene already had a boyfriend, “ChaJkaw.” One fan was tired, “Lmao just a month ago they were suspecting he's dating a twice member then a blckpink member at this rate he's dating the whole country.”

Another pointed out, “On the contrary, if they were actually dating, they wouldn’t be hanging out together and taking pics together so openly. Anyway, they seem to be good friends at least, the commenters on this post are doing too much. “In consideration of ARMY” speak for yourself. this is why idols don’t share their personal life at all bc ppl like this think they’re entitled to everything. He’s allowed to have female friends and he’s allowed date if he’s not already, if you don’t like it, you can go.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.