“Yall really hate successful women” — Fans back aespa’s Karina after she's accused of political bias for wearing red amid election season

On May 27, 2025, Karina, the frontwoman of K-pop act aespa, took down a recent Instagram update after it drew unexpected attention for possible political meaning. The photo uploaded on her official Instagram account, @katarinabluu, showed the artist in a jacket with red and black hues and the number “2” printed on it.

The jacket’s design has some online users linked to South Korea’s conservative People Power Party and its presidential hopeful, Kim Moon-soo. Though the post lacked any direct message or caption, its color scheme and visible number led to swift assumptions about a potential political lean.

Shortly after, Baek Ji-won, the designated representative of the People Power Party, shared an Instagram update mentioning aespa. The clip included a still from the music video of the group’s track Supernova, paired with the song and the phrase “SHOUT OUT TO,” to express recognition.

The timing of the posts led many to believe it was a nod of support toward aespa. The situation quickly gained momentum online, with fans backing the aespa leader for her outfit choice.

“Yall really hate successful women” an X user commented.

Moreover, on May 28, Lee Soo-jung, who leads the Suwon Jeong division of the People Power Party, issued a public message backing Karina following online discussions surrounding her recent Instagram post.

Through her Facebook account, Lee uploaded a photo of the K-pop idol, along with a short statement and a hashtag reflecting her viewpoint. In her message, she added a hashtag that read, "If you mess with Karina, you're done" (per TenAsia), signaling a firm position in the ongoing matter.

While it remains unclear whether the outfit choice was intentional or coincidental, aespa’s fandom keeps showing support towards the artist.

"Karina girl you better post yourself wearing blue and putting 1 finger up or else im going to assume you’re an incel party supporter," a fan remarked.

"Karina openly talks about reading feminist literature and has showed so much support for women and here y’all are calling her a tr*mpie over a post," a person shared.

Others pointed out that similar claims were made in the past when she wore blue, calling the repeated criticism unfair and misleading.

"The brand name is VAQUERA not vagera and they don’t sell blue windbreakers nor are they politically affiliated with any party Using AI to try and frame Karina You guys are tired," a netizen said.

"Last year when Karina wore a blue scarf, they said that she supported a politic party and now she wore a red colored jacket, they accused of supporting another politic party. See how ridiculous it is. If this is not a smear campaign against her I don't know what is," a viewer noted.

"She's not. she obviously did not intend anything political but was totally taken out of context. supporters of people power party are purposely overinterpreting this just so they can use her to rile things up if you dk anything about korean politics i suggest you just shut up," another fan added.

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aespa’s Karina & SM Entertainment issue an apology over K-pop idol's misinterpreted Instagram post

aespa's Karina issued an apology on May 28, 2025, after a recent online post stirred controversy during a politically sensitive time in South Korea. She spoke directly to fans through Bubble, a private messaging platform, explaining her side of the situation.

“I apologize to fans for creating this misunderstanding. I didn’t have any intentions [with the post], and I will act more carefully in the future," the aespa's artist wrote (as quoted by Korea JoongAng Daily).

SM Entertainment, the agency behind aespa, also addressed the matter publicly.

"We apologize for causing concern with Karina's post. Karina posted some daily content with no particular intention, and she deleted the post immediately after recognizing it could be misunderstood. We sincerely apologize for the unintended concern," the South Korean entertainment agency asserted.

During election season, K-pop idols are usually urged to avoid party-related colors and gestures, like red or peace signs, to prevent political misinterpretation.

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Meanwhile, K-pop quartet aespa concluded their Japanese fan gatherings titled To MY World over the weekend. The two-day event took place on May 24 and 25 at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama, Japan.