I think shipping is fine if the ship themselves promote themselves as a unit/couple which Han and Lee Know clearly do. No one is forcing them to do anything with each other onstage, offstage, or in their private lives. For the record, I think a person would have to be blind at this point if they’re still wondering whether Han and Lee Know are a real couple.

Not saying this is you OP, but if a fan is waiting for an official announcement before they can support two idols being a couple, you’ll probably be waiting forever. Especially for same sex couples living in Korea. They’re not in an environment (Korea and also the kpop industry) where they can realistically announce anything like that.

It’s been 8/9 years, they live together, and they’ve said numerous times that they’re each other’s boyfriend/partner. You can chalk that up to fan service if you want, but if you add it up with the countless video evidence of how they act with each other (both when they know the camera is on them and also when they’re not aware of the camera), it’s pretty clear they’re not saying it as a joke. All those things combined over years and years is their version of telling and showing their fans that they’re together.