On July 6, aespa’s Karina appeared on the YouTube channel “Fairy Jaehyung” and shared her thoughts on the controversy that had surrounded her for over a month.
The idol faced accusations of showing political bias after posting a photo of herself in Japan wearing a red jacket marked with the number “2,” along with a rose emoji—symbols that many associated with a specific political candidate.
The timing, just days before the presidential election on May 27, fueled speculation that her post carried political intent. Despite deleting the photo within an hour, the online backlash had already begun. The controversy spread rapidly through social media and online communities, drawing reactions even from political figures. Baek Ji-won, a spokesperson for the People Power Party, shared aespa’s “Supernova” music video with the phrase “SHOUT OUT TO,” and Lee Soo-jung, a PPP official, wrote, “If you mess with Karina, you’re all done.”
In the video, Karina clarified that the jacket was simply a spontaneous purchase due to cold weather while out with staff. “I just wanted to share something with my fans. I posted it and took it down quickly after being contacted,” she explained.
She went on to candidly admit, “Even though I was overseas, I should have been more aware of the context. It was clearly my ignorance.” She emphasized that the incident made her realize the importance of being more informed and responsible as a public figure.
“Since I brought attention to it, I need to bear the consequences. What hurt the most was seeing the other members affected,” Karina added, revealing how deeply the controversy affected not only her but also the group.
After the video of Karina addressing the controversy was released, many netizens spoke up in her defense.
- Honestly, it was totally overblown from the start. If you actually look at the post Karina uploaded, it wasn’t just that one photo—she shared several everyday pictures, and that photo was just one of them. I also thought she only posted that one image because that’s what I saw circulating online, but it turns out it was just part of a regular photo dump. Sure, she should’ve been careful, but things definitely got blown out of proportion—especially with political trolls jumping in like a swarm.
- These people act like if a female idol makes even the slightest mistake, she needs to hold a tearful press conference and issue a public apology before they’re satisfied. LOL. They’ll probably keep dragging her no matter what.
- Alright, what excuse are they going to latch onto next? LOL. Since it made the trending page, the Karina hate-brigade will probably start swarming in soon. I’m curious what their new talking points will be this time. The moment any Karina post hits the front page, they crawl out of nowhere and flood the comments. It’s about time they showed up again, huh? LOL.
- Whether Karina apologizes or explains, they’re going to keep hating. Why? Because they’ve hated Karina from the start, regardless of the photo controversy. Honestly, I kind of get it—Korean female community sites are notorious for turning on female idols. It’s a long-standing tradition. Top girl group members have always gotten hate from those spaces. So even if Karina posts an apology or clarification, they’ll just keep bashing her without even thinking. Looks like some of them are already here, LOL. Guess they live and breathe Karina every day.
- Come on, no idol in Korea would post something so blatantly on purpose knowing it’d hurt their image. They obviously wouldn’t risk that. People know this—but they finally found something to grab onto, so now they’re just endlessly mocking and bashing her for it.
While some continue to criticize her actions, others argue that the incident reveals deeper issues within fandom culture and how female idols are disproportionately targeted for minor missteps.