Karina, a member of the famous K-Pop Girl Aespa group, was under scrutiny after loading an Instagram post that some Netizen interpreted as a subtle political declaration before the imminent presidential elections of South Korea.
The controversy broke out when Karina published a photo on May 27 wearing a black jacket with red motifs and the number “2” clearly visible-a dress that many fans believe have broken the rule of long-date K-Pop idol but not explained by “no color, no gesture” during the electoral season. He also included a red rose heemji in the caption, further fueling speculation. According to reports, the photo was taken during a trip to Japan.
The online communities reacted quickly, with users who nicknamed her “conservative Karina”, “voter n. 2 karina” and even “patriotic karina” – often associated with conservative voters in South Korea, where red is the symbolic color of the party of popular power, whose presidential candidate is listed as n. 2 on the vote.
Korea Ang daily reported that the image was soon canceled, but the repercussions continued, with the critics who questioned the awareness and inattention of the singer, especially during such a sensitive political period.
Rules not gave for idols during the elections
During the electoral season, idols should be unofficially avoid wearing politically symbolic colors-red, blue, yellow and green-e to refrain from the use of gestures as signs of peace or thumbs that could inadvertently suggest support for a particular candidate or party number. Even abstaining from the vote is not without criticism, since the idols are expected to demonstrate their civic participation by publicly maintaining severe neutrality.
This delicate balancing act was evident at the beginning of this week when Kim Tae-Ra of Zerobaseone published a selfie with a “V” sign and a blue phone, explaining later that he had included the blue color for “even it” and avoid any potential political interpretation.
SM entrenement apie
In light of the growing criticisms, Sm Entertainment issued an official declaration on May 28, clarify the intentions of Karina:
“We apologize for having aroused concern because of the recent post by the artist Karina.
Karina simply shared something from her daily life on social media, with absolutely other intention or purpose. Once he realized that the post could be misunderstood, he canceled him immediately. We apologize sincerely for any anguish that this may have caused involuntarily.
Our agency will also be more careful and will make greater efforts to prevent these accidents from taking place in the future. We hope that the intentions of our artists will no longer be sought after or consumed with a particular agenda and we will do our best to protect Karina and all our artists.
Thank you.”
Since the two -day early vote period for the snapper elections of South Korea starts this Thursday, the idols are expected to be seen in the electoral seats, carefully designed in neutral tones and avoiding gestures, in the continuous effort to involve fans without crossing the political lines.
