Singer Karina (from Aespa), who was embroiled in a political color controversy due to a photo on social media, has released a statement.
On the 28th, Karina opened up through the fan communication platform Bubble, saying, "I'm really sorry for making My (fandom name) worry." She continued, "I had no such intention at all," and added, "I thought I should speak directly since the misunderstandings have continued to grow and My is very worried."
She also stated, "From now on, I will pay more attention and act more carefully. I apologize once again for causing concern."
Her agency, SM Entertainment, also apologized, saying, "We apologize for causing concern due to Karina's post," and emphasized, "Karina only posted everyday content on SNS without any other purpose or intention, and after realizing there could be misunderstandings, she deleted the post immediately. We sincerely apologize for causing concern unintentionally."
Furthermore, they stated, "We will also pay more attention and make efforts to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. We hope that the artist's intentions are not distorted and consumed for specific purposes, and we will do our best to protect all artists, including Karina."
On the 27th, Karina posted several photos taken in Japan on her SNS along with a rose emoji. In the photos, Karina was seen wearing a white dress with a black jumper. The jumper caught attention as it had a design mixed with red color and a large number '2' printed on it.
As a result, some netizens raised suspicions that Karina's outfit, due to the 'red color' and 'number 2', was supporting a specific presidential candidate. They also speculated that Karina's inclusion of 'rose' in the photo description might refer to the upcoming election being called the 'Rose Election.'
As the controversy arose, Karina attempted to calm the situation by deleting the photo. However, in relation to this, Lee Soo-jung, the chairman of the Suwon branch of the People Power Party, shared Karina's photo on her SNS, declaring public support with the tag "If you touch Karina, you all die."
While Karina and her agency tried to settle the controversy with their statements, the outfit has continued to be a hot topic online, leading to a sold-out situation.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
