Aespa member Karina gained quite some unwanted attention in the past few days after a sudden Dispatch report exposed her romantic relationship with actor Lee Jae Wook.
Lee Jae Wook (left) and Karina (right) | Prada
The news left many fans shocked, as it was not only an unexpected reveal but also a little unusual for a younger idol from a big entertainment agency to get tangled in a dating “scandal.” The reaction from her fandom and netizens, in general, was a bag of mixed goodies, with some congratulating the couples and others criticizing the idol and even sending protest trucks to her agency.
Protest truck. | theqoo
This controversy led to Karina posting a handwritten apology letter addressed to fans, which, again, received mixed reactions, with some deeming it completely unnecessary.
Hello, this is Karina. Firstly, I am sorry to have shocked you so much. I was late [in addressing it] as I felt like I had to be careful since MYs were very rattled. I know very well just how disappointed MYs, who have been supporting me all this while, were and just how sad you must’ve been as you recalled everything we have talked about together. Because I know just how you feel, I feel even sorrier.
I’ve come to write you a letter, in hopes that my feelings are conveyed, even just a tiny bit. The reason that I’m writing this even though I’m worried that I may be hurting you again, is because I want to sincerely convey how sorry I feel to the fans who have given me the gift of the warmest winter, ever since I made my debut. In the future, I want to mend the wounds that MYs received. I have always been sincere towards MYs and even now, each and every one of you are such precious people to me.
This might be too short to express everything I feel, but thank you for reading it. In the future, I will not disappoint MYs and will show you a more mature and hardworking side of me as I promote. Please watch over me.
MYs, eat well and let’s meet in good shape. I’m sorry and very grateful.”
— Karina
However, the issue seemingly got big enough for a large media outlet like BBC (British Broadcasting Channel) to cover the news. On March 6, the outlet posted an article about her apology, where they also discussed the negative notions around dating in the K-Pop fan subculture.
When a Korean netizen posted about this coverage on a popular online community, other netizens were left flustered at how this incident presented Korea and the Korean music industry overseas. Many called it an “embarrassment” to the nation’s image.
| theqoo “This is embarrassing…” “Oh no…” “Our distorted fan culture has led to a national embarrassment.” | theqoo “Shame, shame.” “Everybody made a big fuss asking for an apology, LOL. It’s unbelievable that she wrote an apology letter. I feel sorry for the idols, really.” “The Korean fans, LOL. It’s been so long since K-Pop became global, but they still don’t seem to grasp the fact that when something like this happens, it immediately disgraces the country.”
