K-Pop fans get a lot of joy and happiness when finding similarities between two of their favorite idols — Irene and Karina have made this super easy for ReVeluvs and MYs. The charismatic leaders of SM Entertainment‘s most popular girl groups have more in common than you’d think.
| @renebaebae/Instagram
It’s not just the fact that they made two super successful girl groups — all while looking absolutely gorgeous — that makes fans love both of these stars. In fact, there are a whopping 15 similarities that we can think of!
| @katarinabluu/Instagram
1. High-Flying Dreams
Before they were gracing the stage, both Irene and Karina had aspirations of becoming air hostesses. Their shared dream is a nod to their service-oriented personalities and love for travel.
aespa’s other dream if they weren’t a kpop idol:
Karina – flight attendant
Giselle – actress
Winter – soldier
Ningning – singer
our maknae has been consistent from her childhood dream till now pic.twitter.com/oobCQZQt4Z
— chay | full-time ia (@winterlymnjng) December 29, 2021
Irene’s GQ Interview. | @seulgisolomon/Twitter
2. Digital Gardening Enthusiasts
They may be known for their performances, but both idols also enjoy virtual gardening. Karina is known for her fondness for the game Gardenscapes, while Irene famously prefers cultivating her virtual land in Farmville.
gardenscapes reddit said 9926 is the highest level of the game so far which means karina is the highest ranked player in the entire world?%*#$ pic.twitter.com/F6ISGdGDWH
— ︎ (@KARINATI0NS) February 21, 2022
Irene playing “Farmville” | @redvelvet.smtown/Instagram
3. Fabric Softener
On social media, both idols have expressed their preference for a specific brand of fabric softener, turning it into an adorable meme among fans.
when taeyeon and red velvet’s irene got really excited talking about fabric softener and ironing pic.twitter.com/YH19XhaCN7
— best taeyeon moments (@tymoments) March 18, 2017
220216 #aespa Instagram Live
Karina: Oh ya there’s a really good smell coming from your clothes
Giselle: Really?
K: Yeah, the smell of fabric softener
G: Thank you! #KARINA #카리나 #GISELLE #지젤 #에스파 pic.twitter.com/8qSceTwmU2
— MY kariselle (@mykariselle) February 16, 2023
4. Jump-Scare Jitters
Irene and Karina share a timid side, easily startled by sudden movements or unexpected situations, which has been well-documented and shared by fans on Twitter.
Q: Who is the member who gets scared easily?
Everyone including Karina chose Karina. pic.twitter.com/qmlRN73Vp6
— nadi • ON BREAK! (@aeriownsme) December 11, 2020
seulgi scared irene so much pic.twitter.com/nEkw4bQ52I
— 𝖘𝖋 (@seuIgisfeed) July 10, 2020
5. Acrophobia Affinity
Despite their towering stage presence, both idols confess to a fear of heights, showing that they have more in common than just their careers.
Whoah the stage is so high up, how did Karina overcome her fear of heights for this pic.twitter.com/5vUHq20pEE
— Ochy (@radred0) August 5, 2023
It’s such a pleasure to see how much Irene and Bae Juhyun grew, like how she overcame her fear of heights and open water and how she can do the things she couldn’t do before. #WorkandHolidayWithIRENE #아이린의_단독예능은_처음이라 pic.twitter.com/kEDFV2jl41
— SeulRene슬린 Daily &⃝ (@SeulReneDaily) August 4, 2022
6. Wink Struggles
It’s a cute gesture often expected from idols, but both Irene and Karina have admitted that they can’t wink, turning it into a charming quirk that fans adore.
i’ve just realized that irene just blinks every time (since she can’t wink) but i always thought she was winking pic.twitter.com/jfigFnccZ2
— (@baechurenes) August 7, 2020
Karina can’t wink pic.twitter.com/TIWu8W2aFV
— karina’s wife (@ujiminphoria) December 26, 2022
7. Snack Preferences
The two have a particular obsession with BAEBAE biscuits, a snack that both have been spotted enjoying on multiple occasions.
the fact that karina and irene both love this snack 🥹🫶 배배 pic.twitter.com/yip1WrvvBj
— To. C (@soshirevelae) August 2, 2022
8. Scent Savy
An unusual habit they share is a penchant for sniffing things. This quirk adds to their unique and relatable personalities.
Karina and her habit of sniffing things. She’s so sjshsihsjshshs pic.twitter.com/qCs0VpYhYF
— karina’s wife (@ujiminphoria) July 13, 2022
a short compilation of irene sniffing….things pic.twitter.com/BNZr9F1Hfg
— t (@joohyunisabae) June 7, 2019
9. Musical Minds
Their music tastes align closely, with both recommending songs by HONNE and expressing their admiration for Tori Kelly’s “Confetti.”
I can’t give you all that stuff but I can give you all my love… pic.twitter.com/eOQ2xzSkVr
— p (@papapopyty) August 29, 2021
211102
[12:02pm KST]
“This too” pic.twitter.com/Aooy1vVxTe
— ً (@winrina_bbl) November 2, 2021
10. Exclusive Friend Circles
Both idols claim to have only one close celebrity friend each, with Karina’s being ITZY‘s Ryujin and Irene’s BLACKPINK‘s Jennie, highlighting their selective and deep bonds.
Karina said Ryujin is the only celebrity friend that she has and Ryujin loves Eunchae so much and during the year end festival they were like “ouh it’s lesserafim” so Karina bragged to Ryujin about meeting Eunchae today pic.twitter.com/hLkUzzWSsM
— karina’s wife (@ujiminphoria) May 18, 2023
Happy Birthday Jennie! Thank you for being a precious friend to Irene, we hope only good and bright things are waiting for you. #PricelessJennieDay #BonJennieversaire#빛이나는_제니의_모든날이_찬란하길pic.twitter.com/wIquz7nWnV
— Irene 아이린 Global (@irene_global) January 15, 2021
11. Cycling Challenges
Neither Irene nor Karina excel at bike riding, proving that even idols have everyday skills they struggle with.
All the random people in Bali witnessing Irene being bad at bike riding pic.twitter.com/tALpImDjjr
— © (@holcene) August 14, 2022
: Oh, a two-wheeled bike..I learned how to ride one now. But I can’t turn that well, I can only go straight. If you see me riding a bike somewhere..please avoid me
rina pic.twitter.com/I3tAPGdkza
— rin | ia (@kirinyangz) January 15, 2023
12. Mirrored Moles
A small but striking similarity is their cheek moles, which are on opposite sides of their faces, adding to their mirrored allure.
I’m living for Irene’s cheek mole. pic.twitter.com/aTZFvcEISI
— (@zimzalafckinbim) March 1, 2021
#Karina’s mole position on face
-Temple
-cheek
-The chin pic.twitter.com/1AKGWoXX4f
— ᐢ꼬ᐢ (@aespaisakami) July 11, 2021
13. Pre-Debut Spotlight
Both were featured in SM Entertainment music videos before their official debut, hinting at their potential early on. Karina famously featured in SHINee Taemin’s “Want,” while Irene camoed in Henry‘s “143” clip.
14. Aries
It’s in the stars—both idols are Aries, which might explain their passionate and driven personalities.
Irene and Karina as an aries pic.twitter.com/zSujjg5e2b
— To. C (@soshirevelae) December 12, 2022
15. Septuple Threats
Finally, their positions within their respective groups are remarkably similar. Irene holds the titles of leader, center, face of the group, visual, main rapper, lead dancer, and sub-vocalist. Karina mirrors these with leader, center, face of the group, visual, lead rapper, main dancer, and sub-vocalist roles.
Irene laughing after the device listed all her group positions She’s so soft pic.twitter.com/hMVADJw0Zg
— (@baechurenes) November 11, 2019
| K-Pop Profiles
