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On Thursday, March 7, the Korean media outlet Xposrt News released an article on aespa Karina and BLACKPINK's Jennie, comparing the two's responses to their dating rumors. The article, titled "Karina At Least Apologized... Compared To Jennie’s Irresponsible Silence," garnered the attention of several netizens.
The journalist who worked on the article stated that BLACKPINK's Jennie, following her dating scandal with BTS' V last year, failed to apologize for her romantic relationship with her fellow artist.
They compared Jennie's silence with aespa Karina's recent handwritten letter, where she was seen communicating her apologies to her fans for supposedly disappointing them with her dating scandal with the K-drama actor, Lee Jae-wook.
Upon reading the article, netizens pointed out that the journalist made a baseless comparison. Many expressed that the two artists' situations are completely different, and given that they're housed under different agencies that function variedly, the parallel fails to make sense.
Moreover, they also stated that neither of the K-pop idols needs to apologize for their relationships since it's a part of their private lives.
Netizens criticize Xport News' journalist for the comparison between BLACKPINK Jennie's silence and aespa Karina's apology letter following their respective dating scandals
On March 6, aespa Karina uploaded a handwritten letter to her personal Instagram account where she expressed regret for disappointing and surprising her fans with the recent news of her relationship with the K-drama actor Lee Jae-wook.
Following the dating news that was revealed on February 27, both the idol and the actor received a mixed set of reactions.
While several fans were delighted about the same and cheered them on their journey together, others were disappointed with the news and began to spread hate and criticism towards the two celebrities. As a result, the idol felt the need to express her apologies to the fans she might've disappointed.
However, many fans stated that aespa Karina shouldn't have apologized since her romantic relationships are a part of her private life, and she doesn't need to feel apologetic about the same. Regardless, her apology letter was taken by the Xport News journalist to criticize BLACKPINK Jennie's behavior towards her dating scandal with BTS' V.
Here's what the article read:
"One of the idols whose response to their dating rumors is being scrutinized is BLACKPINK’s Jennie. Idols whose silence is in stark contrast to Karina reaching out to her fans honestly and asking for their understanding is the reason why fans are raising their eyebrows at the way other idols respond to their relationship."
When BLACKPINK Jennie's dating rumor with BTS' V landed on the internet last year, both HYBE Labels and YG Entertainment did not confirm or deny the news. Both agencies closed their responses by stating that they aren't aware of their artists' private live happenings. Additionally, there were no responses from the K-pop idols themselves, and the scandal eventually died down.
However, fans understood the same since they weren't obliged to report their private lives to the public. Therefore, when the Xport News article landed on the internet, fans were enraged. They called out the journalist for making a baseless comparison and using aespa Karina's incident to pointlessly disrespect and scrutinize BLACKPINK's Jennie.
Following the article's release, netizens have been debating the issue through social media platforms, defending both aespa Karina and BLACKPINK's Jennie.
