Amid controversy over political overtones stemming from a photo shared by aespa member Karina on social media, she has directly spoken out to clarify. Following Karina, the agency SM Entertainment also stated, "There was no other purpose or intention at all."
On the afternoon of the 28th, Karina opened up through the fan community platform Bubble, saying, "I’m sorry for making my (fandom name) worried. I didn’t have that intention at all, but it seems like the misunderstandings keep escalating, and I thought I should talk directly since my fans are very concerned."
The previous day, Karina posted daily photos taken in Japan on her personal account along with a rose emoji. In the released photo, Karina was seen wearing a jumper that had the number "2" printed in red.
As a result, some raised suspicions that Karina may have expressed political views. The red jumper with the number "2" was interpreted as supporting a specific political party, and speculations followed that the "rose" emoji might signify the "rose election."
Consequently, Karina's social media comments were filled with remarks from supporters of the People Power Party, and Baek Ji-won, the spokesperson for the People Power Party's central election committee, also added the phrase "Shout out to" alongside a scene from aespa's hit song "Supernova" music video on social media.
As the unexpected political controversy unfolded around Karina's daily social media posts, Karina directly stated, "From now on, I will take more interest and act with caution. I’m sorry once again for causing concern. Have a good day today."
Following Karina, the agency SM Entertainment also issued an official statement on the same day, saying, "We apologize for causing concern due to our artist Karina's post," and added, "Karina only posted everyday content on social media with no other purpose or intention at all, and she deleted the post immediately after realizing it could be misunderstood."
The agency stated, "We sincerely apologize for causing concern inadvertently," and emphasized, "We will take more care and strive to prevent such issues from occurring in the future. We hope that the artist's intentions are not distorted and consumed with a specific purpose, and we will do our best to protect all our artists, including Karina."
Meanwhile, aespa, to which Karina belongs, will attend the 'Asia Star Entertainer Awards 2025 presented by Zozotown' (ASIA STAR ENTERTAINER AWARDS 2025 presented by zozotown, abbreviated ASEA 2025) held in Yokohama, Japan, on this day.
[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS
[OSEN]