aespa member Karina recently updated fans directly after apologizing for the political color controversy.

On 9th, Karina communicated through the fan interaction platform Bubble, saying, “You’ve waited a long time. I practiced and prepared really hard, as much as you waited for me. I’m really sorry and thankful for worrying you during that time.” She then asked, “How have you been?”

As fans’ responses continued, Karina added, “I missed you so much too.”

Previously, Karina posted a photo wearing a jumper with the red number '2' printed on it and shared a rose emoji on social media last month, which led her to be embroiled in a political color controversy. The next day, Karina bowed her head, saying, “I had no such intention at all” and “I will be more mindful and cautious in the future. I apologize for causing concern.”

In response, the agency SM Entertainment also issued an official statement, saying, “We apologize for causing concern through the post by our artist Karina,” adding, “Karina only posted routine content on social media and had no other purpose or intention, and after realizing there could be room for misunderstanding, she deleted the post immediately.”

The agency stated, “We sincerely apologize for causing concern unintentionally,” and “We will pay more attention and effort to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. We hope that the artist's intentions are not distorted and consumed with a specific purpose any further, and we will do our best to protect all artists, including Karina.”

Meanwhile, aespa, of which Karina is a member, will release the single “Dirty Work” on the 27th at 1 p.m.

[Photo] OSEN DB, SNS

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