aespa's Karina admits being ‘truly ignorant' of political jacket controversy: ‘I genuinely wanted to…'

Pink Villa

17 hours ago

After months of online backlash, aespa's Karina has finally spoken in-depth about the political controversy that surrounded her earlier this summer. The issue began when the singer posted a seemingly casual photo on Instagram. She was wearing a red jacket emblazoned with the number 2. The combination, amid Korea's election season, led to widespread rumors that she was showing support for a right-wing candidate.
SM Entertainment and Karina quickly responded with apologies, insisting there was no political message behind the outfit. But criticism continued to flood in. Now, during a recent talk show appearance, Karina has stepped up to share her side of the story once again.
Karina apologise to fans
In her on-air statement, Karina didn't avoid the topic. Instead, she acknowledged the controversy head-on, revealing how it affected her and those around her.
Karina began by acknowledging that the recent incident had made her reflect deeply. It wasn't just about her, it also made her think about how such issues can impact the people around her. She shared that it made her wish for a more peaceful and trouble-free life for everyone involved.
Karina expressed remorse for the unintended consequences, especially the concern it caused among fans. 'I honestly had no such intention at all,' she said. She explained that this was the reason she felt the need to speak up and clarify things. However, despite her intentions, she noticed that fans remained concerned. It left her feeling genuinely apologetic.
She continued, 'I genuinely wanted to say how sorry I am to our fans and to everyone who might have been hurt by it. I really had no idea it would become something so serious, and I feel deeply sorry for causing such distress.'
Karina reveals how she ended up wearing the controversial jacket
Karina explained that the situation began during an outing with her staff. Since the weather was cold, she picked up a jacket on the spot and wore it without much thought. Wanting to share the moment with fans, she posted a photo online. However, she was informed shortly after that the image could be misinterpreted, prompting her to delete it.
She admitted she had no idea that the number and color combo held political connotations, especially during election season. She said, 'Looking back, I was really ignorant about it all. Even if I was abroad, it was still something I should've known. And I realized I really need to be more aware and educate myself more about these things. I truly was ignorant, I get that now.'
Karina admitted that she felt fully responsible for the controversy and understood that the attention stemmed from her actions. However, what hurt her the most was seeing her fellow aespa members unintentionally dragged into the situation. Watching them face criticism because of something she did was especially painful for her.