aespa's Karina has spoken out for the first time about the political controversy that arose during South Korea's presidential election, admitting, "I was truly ignorant" and offering an explanation.
On July 6, Karina appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel 'Fairy Jaehyung' in an episode titled, 'You Finally Came - Youngest guest: Karina.' During the episode, she brought up the controversy that occurred when she posted a photo on Instagram during the presidential election period wearing a red jacket with the number "2" on it, in which the colors and symbols associated with a specific candidate.
Karina explained, “There was absolutely no political intention behind it, and that’s why I really wanted to speak up. I sincerely apologize to the fans and everyone who was concerned.”
She continued, “I was out with the staff, and since it was chilly, I quickly bought an outer layer to wear. I wanted to communicate with fans, so I uploaded the post, but after being contacted about it, I immediately deleted it.”
Karina added, “Even though I was overseas at the time, I should have known better. I realized I need to be more aware and educate myself. It’s true, I was too ignorant.”
She also shared the emotional toll it took, saying, “Since I caused the controversy, I felt I should take responsibility. But it was really hard seeing the other members affected by it too.”
The original post was uploaded on May 27 during the height of the presidential election period. It featured Karina wearing a bright red jacket with a large number “2” on it, accompanied by a rose emoji, in a photo taken on the streets of Japan. The image sparked debate among Korean netizens who interpreted it as a reference to a specific political party and candidate.
The post was quickly deleted, and SM Entertainment issued a statement at the time, clarifying: “Karina was simply sharing a moment from her daily life on social media with no political intent. Once she realized the post could be misunderstood, she deleted it. We sincerely apologize for causing concern unintentionally.”
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