aespa’s Karina Personally Addresses Recent Political Controversy

aespa‘s Karina recently got into controversy when she uploaded a series of photos from her trip to Japan. In the now-deleted photos, she was wearing not only a top with the color red in it, but also with the number two. Both are associated with the conservative party and presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo in South Korea.

Tensions are high in South Korea and celebrities are doubly careful during this period thanks to the upcoming elections. Any sign of political association can be seen as using their public influence to sway the public politically. Karina received huge backlash and her company previously issued an apology and statement.

SM Entertainment Apologizes For aespa Karina’s Controversial Upload

On May 28, 2025, Karina herself took to her online messaging platform to address the matter.

MY, I’m so sorry for having worried you. I totally didn’t mean it, but the misunderstanding blew up this big and I thought that I should address it personally because MY are so worried about it.

In the future, I’ll pay more attention and heed to my actions. Once again, I’m sorry for having worried you.

— Karina

You can read about the initial controversy below.

aespa’s Karina Deletes Instagram Post After Sparking Huge Unexpected Controversy