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On Wednesday, March 6, British media outlet BBC News covered aespa Karina's apology letter to fans regarding her recent dating scandal with K-drama actor Lee Jae-wook. BBC released an article about the aespa member's apology letter to fans, while also showcasing the harsh backslash K-pop artists receive under the light of a dating rumor.
The article also addressed the fact that several fans sent protest trucks to SM Entertainment, criticizing and calling out the idol for her alleged immature behavior and betrayal toward fans.
BBC News also pointed out that K-pop idols often find it tricky to navigate when their romantic relationships get public as it leads to a great outbreak amongst netizens, causing significant damage to the artist.
Upon reading the article, fans felt that the media outlet was calling out netizens and K-pop fans for their harsh response to the aespa member's dating scandal, which eventually forced her to apologize for her relationship with Lee Jae-wook. Therefore, fans criticized the netizens for their seemingly baseless hate and unnecessary criticism of the idol.
Fans angered at netizens' hate towards aespa Karina's dating news with Lee Jae-wook
On February 27, Dispatch released an article exposing aespa Karina's relationship with the K-drama actor, Lee Jae-wook. The article explained that the two first got acquainted at the Prada Milan Fashion Show and then continued to deepen their relationship once they got back to Seoul, South Korea. Following the rumors, both the celebrities' agencies confirmed the news.
While several people were happy for the couple, many others expressed their displeasure with the dating news. Netizens not only sent hate and criticized the idol for her alleged immature actions through social media platforms, but also went to the extent of sending protest trucks to SM Entertainment's headquarters.
The truck displayed messages, calling out the idol for betraying her fans and also threatening that fans wouldn't support aespa's future comebacks.
As a result, the idol released an apology letter, expressing her regrets for disappointing her fans and promising to act more mature henceforth. However, many fans expressed that the idol shouldn't be apologizing for what she does in her private life. Soon after Karina's apology letter's release, several international news agencies were seen covering the issue. One of which included BBC News.
The news agency's article stated the following:
"This is not an isolated incident, however. Pop stars in South Korea and Japan work in a notoriously pressurizing industry, where such personal revelations can be tricky to navigate. Just a decade ago, it was common practice for K-pop agencies to ban new stars from dating or even having a personal mobile phone, and even now admissions of romantic relationships are often considered scandalous to fans."
BBC addressed the ongoing tension around K-pop idols and their dating news:
"Some experts told the BBC then that pop stars' agencies seek to sell them as "romantically obtainable" idols. In Japan, many pop stars are bound by "no dating" clauses in their contracts, and getting married requires permission... Some of Karina's fans drove to the headquarters of SM Entertainment, the company which formed and manages aespa. These trucks have become a common practice used by K-pop fans to show support or discontent in recent days."
Following the article's release, fans criticized netizens for their baseless hate and criticism towards the aespa Karina. Since the netizens' reaction blew up in scale and garnered a large amount of attention, the news was also covered by international media outlets.
Additionally, with the articles calling out K-pop fans' extreme behavior and hatred of K-pop artists, fans believe that it stands as a negative representation of the fandom, in general. Therefore, they've been calling out the haters and netizens for their recent response to Karina's dating news.
