aespa’s Karina recently found herself embroiled in an unexpected controversy after sharing a seemingly innocent photo on her personal Instagram account.
The post, uploaded on 27 May, featured her wearing a black and red varsity-style jacket with the number “2” boldly displayed. Her caption was simple—a single rose emoji. However, what was meant to be a casual post soon drew sharp public attention due to its perceived political implications.
As South Korea nears its 21st Presidential Election, political sensitivities are running high, and certain symbols—like specific colours and candidate numbers—carry weight.
In this climate, the red jacket and the number “2” on Karina’s outfit were quickly linked by online users to Kim Moon Soo, a key presidential candidate. Red is commonly recognised as the colour of the ruling People Power Party, which Kim is associated with, while “2” is his assigned candidate number.
Despite the absence of any explicit political message, online forums lit up with debate. Some netizens interpreted Karina’s post as a subtle endorsement of Kim Moon Soo, accusing the idol of engaging in covert political expression.
The speculation snowballed quickly, sparking heated exchanges between critics and fans. While many questioned whether she was aware of the associations, others insisted the post was being unfairly scrutinised.
Responding to the backlash, Karina deleted the photo within hours of its upload—likely in reaction to the growing controversy. Shortly thereafter, her agency, SM Entertainment, issued a formal clarification.
“There were no hidden intentions or purposes by her upload and she immediately deleted the post after realising there could be misunderstandings,” the company stated. “We are truly sorry for unintentionally causing concern.”
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They further mentioned that internal steps would be taken to avoid similar issues in future. “We hope that the artist’s intentions [on making the post] will no longer be distorted or framed with certain intentions,” the agency added.
While Karina herself has remained silent on the matter, numerous fans have rallied around her, defending her right to post without being misinterpreted. Many stressed that the image likely had no political connotation, urging the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions.
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