K-pop singer emotionally apologises to fans after bizarre backlash for having a boyfriend

idol Karina, a prominent member of the popular girl group , has issued a heartfelt apology to her fans following a Scan**lous revelation that…she’s in a relationship?

Furious fans, who seem to think they are all collectively in a possessive romance with the singer, accused the 23-year-old of betrayal and threatened to boycott her music in the wake of news that she’s dating actor Lee Jae-wook, 25.

This spurred the star to post an to her 12.7 million Instagram followers. 

Fans went so far as to drive a truck bearing a digital billboard to the singer’s agency after the news of her relationship with Jae-wook made headlines last week.

It read: ‘Is the love given to you by your fans not enough?’ among other expressions of disappointment and rage. 

The billboard was unquestionably threatening, warning of potential consequences such as a decline in album sales and empty concert seats if Karina didn’t issue an apology for her romance with Jae-wook.

Accusations of career sabotage were also levied against the singer, asserting that the relationship had somehow nullified her years of hard work.

Karina expressed her deep regret for the ‘shocking and disappointing’ news in a handwritten letter addressed to her fanbase, known as MYs.

The frontwoman emphasised that she felt even sorrier than her fans about the situation, vowing ‘to heal the wounds’ she had inflicted.

‘I know very well how disappointed [my fans] who have supported me are and how upset you’re thinking about the memories we shared together,’ she wrote. ‘I want to make up for my hurt fans from now on. I have always been sincere to you, and still each and every one of you are truly precious to me.’

‘I apologise for surprising you greatly,’ the singer went on, promising to show a ‘more mature and hardworking side’ going forward.

Karina, real name Yu Ji-min, has led the four-person girl group since they exploded onto the K-pop scene with the single Black Mamba in 2020. Their record-breaking album My World, which came out last year, sold 2.1million copies in South Korea, earning Karina millions of devoted fans who obviously feel entitled to more than just her music. 

The apology highlights the troubling trend of super fans feeling possessive and entitled towards their favourite artists, particularly K-pop idols. 

star Jisoo faced similar scrutiny last August after her relationship with actor Ahn Bo-hyun was exposed to the public, spotlighting to Western fans the expectation in the K-pop industry that stars forgo personal lives and devote themselves to their fans.

K-pop record labels have traditionally monitored and restricted the lives of their performers, even banning them from dating and possessing personal cell phones in some instances.

JYP, an entertainment group that creates and manages K-pop groups that include 2PM, Day6, Twice, Boy Story, Stray Kids, Itzy, NiziU, Xdinary Heroes, Nmixx, and Vcha, has a three-year dating ban for new artists. Park Jin Youg, the head of the company, on X in 2022: ‘I tell my artists that for three years after their debut they shouldn’t date or meet friends, but just focus their lives on practicing. In other words, after three years, established artists don’t have a dating ban.’

While that level of control is less common now than a decade ago, Karina’s reaction to her fan’s behaviour makes it clear that many K-pop stars still feel beholden to these practices.

Karina isn’t wrong to take her fans’ threats seriously, as similar Scan**ls have affected singer’s careers. In 2018 the stock of record label Cube Entertainment dropped several points after two of their artists, Hyuna and E-Dawn, were revealed as a couple. 

‘They want to sell idols that appear to be, at least in an imaginary sense, romantically obtainable. Fans can imagine themselves in some form of social relationship with this idol,’ sociologist Patrick Williams of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore told last year concerning K-pop dating bans.

While labels may be the ones setting these expectations, it’s fans, like aespa’s MYs, who are creating delusional with stars like Karina. 

This controversy is just the latest symptom of ‘,’ a term for the increasingly common phenomenon of people making devotion to their favourite celebrities the focal point of their identities. With the internet giving fans more access than ever to their favourite performers – as well as echo chambers of fandom in which obsessive behaviour is normalised – it can become impossible for celebrities like Karina to ever give enough of themselves to satisfy fans. 

Stan culture, which can also be positive, offering a sense of community to people with shared interests, has a decidedly toxic side. It can drive people to become so protective over the subject of their ‘standom’ that they anyone who criticises or opposes them. Or, as seen in the backlash against Karina, demand unrealistic reciprocation from the celebrity they love. 

But not all fans are as angry about Karina’s relationship as the ones who delivered the billboard. Many have commented on Karina’s apology with outpourings of love and reassurance that she hasn’t done anything wrong. 

@ngisellediary wrote: ‘No need to apologize, it’s not your fault. The real fans will be happy as long as you’re happy, they don’t deserve you dear 💓 Don’t worry, there’s alot of people out there who keep supporting you. Being in love is not a crime. Do whatever that makes you happy, you don’t have to get their permission. It’s your own life, no one has the right to control your way. Nothing to apologize for.’ 

While most fans who commented on the post echoed this sentiment, some maintained that Karina did owe fans an apology. @Susanjinminzheng wrote: ‘Since you have chosen to be an idol, you are not an ordinary person.’

Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, has been filled with calls for Karina to leave her relationship (aespa has a large Chinese fanbase because one of their members is Chinese). According to , one user wrote: ‘What the fans really want to hear from her is that she has broken up and maintains no contact with the guy.’

It remains to be seen whether Karina will be forced to choose between her new relationship with Jae-wook and her older, more passionate relationship with the MYs who demand her undivided attention – or else.