On May 24, 2022, Jennie and V of BTS (aka Kim Taehyung) were thrust into the spotlight when photos that appeared to show the pair driving together on Jeju Island were posted on a fan’s Instagram Story and began circulating. It was unclear, however, if the photos were authentic or not. YG Entertainment kind of (but barely) addressed the rumors in a statement (via Soompi), saying, “We have nothing to say.”
In late August 2022, more photos that appeared to show Jennie and V hanging out together leaked, including photos of Jennie hanging out as V gets his hair styled and the pair posing in front of a mirror looking cozy. Adding fuel to the fire, that October, YG released a statement that suggested they were starting an investigation into who was leaking her photos. “We have officially requested the police to investigate who first circulated Blackpink Jennie’s personal photos,” YG said in an October 2022 statement (via Rolling Stone). “We have refrained from mentioning the matter or making an official statement in order to minimize any further damage. However, there have been indiscriminate rumors, criticism, personal attacks, sexual harassment, and violations of personal life sparked by those private photographs. We are now announcing that we will take legal action and correct the situation.”
While rumors about the pair died down over the next several months as photos stopped leaking, there was a new surge of speculation in May 2022 when Jennie and V were filmed walking hand-in-hand in Paris on what appeared to be a date. Neither YG nor V’s label, HYBE, addressed the latest dating rumors directly, instead telling Sports Seoul, “We don’t know because it is the private life of artists.”
While Jennie and V’s relationship is still not officially confirmed, the fact that neither of the idols’ agencies have denied the dating rumors explicitly (as they have when dating rumors surrounding their artists were categorically false in the past), many fans are now convinced Jennie and V are, in fact, an item.