People take issue with the fact that the 23-year-old singer felt pressured to apologize for her romantic relationship with the 25-year-old actor, which was recently exposed to public.
- Mar 6, 2024
AceShowbiz - K-Pop community has been criticized after South Korean singer Karina issued an apology over dating actor Lee Jae-wook. The stans have been lambasted by social media users and fellow fans after the member of girl group Aespa had to apologize following recent reports about her romantic relationship.
In a handwritten letter that was published on Tuesday, March 5, the 23-year-old wrote in Korean, "Hello, this is Karina. I'm sorry for surprising and causing concern to my fans. I know many of you may have been disappointed, and I'm aware of the sadness recalling our shared moments brings. I deeply feel the regret and apologize for any hurt."
"I hope this letter conveys some of my feelings," she continued. "I write this with the sincere intention of expressing my apologies to the fans who have given me the warmest winter since my debut. I want to mend any wounds and continue to grow with you all."
"Thank you for understanding, and I promise to work hard and mature without disappointing you in the future," the idol added, before concluding, "Take care and let's meet again with a brighter image. I'm sorry and grateful."
Many have since sympathized with Karina and blasted K-Pop fans for making her issue the apology. "The kpop community scares me, their fans are so cringe. Imagine being a 23 year old woman in the 21st century apologizing for dating...," one person reacted on X, formerly Twitter.
Another declared, "The fact that she has to apologize... south korea, you are DONE. Kpop stans, yall/ we are DONE. I really thought everything would change after we witnessed what jennie [of BLACKPINK] had to go through."
"The fact that she felt obligated to apologize for just being human or better yet an ADULT is crazy..some of these stans need to seek help," someone remarked. A confused person asked, "What's so wrong with dating someone? These people are so strange. They made her write an apology. They're overreacting."
Defending the star, another penned, "You don't need to apologize. She has the right to date anyone she wants!! Fans need to grow up." A fan added, "Mind you she's apologizing for just dating! Sometimes kpop sucks."
"This is actually crazy that she even has to apologize for dating someone. It's also crazy that her fans cannot accept who she chooses to date. How can you call yourself a true fan at all? Let Karina love who she wants, date as she please. This is honestly really sad," one other weighed in.
Another asked, "Why did she need to write an apology letter just for dating? That's ridiculous." Someone clapped back at the trolls, "She apologized so leave her alone," while one other claimed, "They mad bc she wasn't lesbian at end of day some gg stans are just a bunch of hypocrites."
Karina and Lee Jae-wook's relationship was first exposed to public in late February after Dispatch shared pictures of the two on several dates in Seoul. A source told the outlet that the pair might have fallen in love after they met each other at Prada Men's Fall/Winter 2024 fashion show in Milan in January.
The dating news was later confirmed by their respective agencies. SM Entertainment, which represents Karina's group, said in a statement at the time, "The two are now at the stage of getting to know each other."
