On August 20, 2025, Chaewon, the leader of the girl group LE SSERAFIM, posted a video of her pet Pomeranian, Shiro, on Weverse. In the video, Chaewon was lying on her floor while Shiro was licking her face and lips.While some fans thought it was sweet interaction between an idol and her dog at first, it quickly caused controversy over how long the interaction lasted.Many fans were upset. They said that it was not just a kiss. Netizens said it was not sanitary, and uncomfortable to watch.The singer captioned the video as,"Shiro therapy. Aren't they cute when you go home after a long time abroad *cries*"Kim Chae-won with her pet, Shiro (Image via X/@elsserafim)As the debate grew, the clip went viral across X, with both harsh criticism and strong defense flooding timelines.The video soon divided opinions online. Several viewers called it “gross and weird." An X user, @yjnfim, wrote,"yall are doing too much w chaewon honestly. sure it is gross and weird but mind you SHE DOESNT KNOW U GUYS. why are yall so up in her a*s? let her kiss her damn dog."sof ᥫ᭡ @yjnfimLINKyall are doing too much w chaewon honestly. sure it is gross and weird but mind you SHE DOESNT KNOW U GUYS. why are yall so up in her a**? let her kiss her damn dogNetizens also pointed out health risks, saying pet owners should avoid such behavior. Others said it looked disturbing and resembled a “make-out” session rather than playful affection.jennie @bmihannieLINKi love chaewon more than my life but like one two licks ok it's ur dog's way of showing u love but it stuck it's tongue into ur mouth like pet owners need to have boundariesj @dovelyneverlandLINKthat video of chaewon & her dog is FOUL & no ppl are not overreacting she let her dog lick the inside of her mouth, touching tongues at one point, for a whole 20 seconds.. that’s a whole make out session with a fu*king dog you will not convince me it’s not that weird & disgustingjello ✪ @odeism__LINKchaewon i love you and the fimmies so fucking much but WHY are you french kissing your dog... 😭sục ngày 5 lọ @bbomngchuLINKwhy does chaewon keep french kissing with her dog bro like thats disgusting asf.... if you ever raise a dog you must be know damn why you should not do that.... they licking their ass almost everyday and some of you all say this is normal...??At the same time, many defended Chaewon. They said that dogs just often show their love through licking, and that it is just a normal thing pet owners do to receive kisses from. Fans also reiterated the idea that Shiro obviously receives proper care, and that the backlash was extreme.BigC 🍃 Always with our FIMILY🔥🔥 @zuharasicLINKWhy there is people (including some fearnots) canceling Chaewon just for kissing her family dog ??? Have you never treated your pets like family? We have seen her doing this multiple times and she has never fallen ill because of that. She trust in shiro because he is clean.chaewon archive 🐯 @archivedkcwLINKyou people act like 5 year olds seeing kissing for the first time when it comes to shiro and kcw he is clearly a really well kept dog and kcw cares about her health so much that i have no doubt that he has one of the best dentals and hygiene a dog can get for her to do thatCapt. Celine Kim 🐯⚡🪽❤️‍🔥🩵 @CastleVens0410_LINKas I said yesterday what Chaewon and Shiro did is a common and normal thing to do as a dog owner or someone who takes care of a dog because that's Shiro's way of expressing how much he loves Chaewon as a member of his family and yes actually this doesn't need to be exaggerated -More about Chaewon, LE SSERAFIM, and their upcoming tourKim Chae-won was born in 2000. She first rose to fame as a member of IZ*ONE before debuting as the leader of LE SSERAFIM under Source Music in 2022. Apart from her group activities, she recently featured on JVKE’s single Butterflies with TXT’s Taehyun.Chaewon has often introduced her fans to Shiro. The dog previously appeared on the JTBC variety show Paws in Paradise.Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM is continuing their busy year. They recently wrapped the Asian leg of their Easy Crazy Hot world tour. It ended in Singapore on August 16.The group is now preparing for their North American leg, starting in September. This will be followed by a finale in Japan.Upcoming tour dates:September 3, 2025 - Newark, NJ (Prudential Center)September 5, 2025 - Chicago, IL (Wintrust Arena)September 8, 2025 - Grand Prairie, TX (Texas Trust CU Theatre)September 12, 2025 - Inglewood, CA (Kia Forum)September 14, 2025 - San Francisco, CA (Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium)September 17, 2025 - Seattle, WA (Climate Pledge Arena)September 20, 2025 - Las Vegas, NV (Michelob ULTRA Arena)September 23, 2025 - Mexico City, Mexico (Arena CDMX)November 18, 2025 - Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo Dome)November 19, 2025 - Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo Dome)The group also recently surpassed 600 million Spotify streams for Antifragile.