Current state of K-pop fan culture revealed through aespa Karina’s “dating apology letter”

Girl group aespa’s member Karina wrote a “dating apology letter”. She took action as the fandom began to show strong reactions after she confirmed her relationship with actor Lee Jae-wook.

Earlier, on Feb 27th, Karina revealed through her agency SM Entertainment that she was in the process of getting to know Lee Jae-wook. It was her stance regarding the dating rumors that came out on that day.

After Karina revealed her relationship, a backlash ensued. Various online communities and SNS were filled with posts certifying that they had unsubscribed from Karina’s paid communication platform. The reason for this, as stated by those who posted, was that communication with fans had become lax since Karina started dating.

Amidst this, there were also individuals appearing one after another, organizing truck protests with banners expressing disappointment with Karina in front of SM’s building, which further tarnished aespa’s image.

In the end, Karina took it upon herself to calm fans’ sentiments. In a handwritten apology letter posted on her SNS account, she wrote, “I know many of you MYs (aespa’s fandom) may have been disappointed when recalling our shared memories. I’m aware of your sadness, and deeply feel regret and apologize for any hurt feelings that I’ve caused.”

Karina added, “I want to mend any wounds that (the news) have caused, as MYs have always supported me unconditionally and even now, I consider your support as precious. I want to show a more matured and hard-working side of myself in the future so as not to disappoint anyone.”

This series of events clearly showed how public dating could be detrimental to idol activities. Industry insiders gather, saying that “pseudo-dating marketing” is still a major strategy in the idol market for building fandom, hence why fans are sensitive to dating issues.

Leaving fandom and strong backlash from aespa fans also draw attention to the fact that it’s not just about the damage caused by emotions related to pseudo-dating. Many fans express concerns about aespa’s declining performance due to the public dating issue.

aespa is grouped with other next-generation top girl groups like NewJeans, IVE and LE SSERAFIM. Among them, aespa’s album sales have shown a decreasing trend, worrying many fans.

The latest album “Drama” released by aespa in November last year sold about 1.13 million copies in its first week, according to Hanteo Chart. This is a decrease of 560,000 copies compared to the first week sales of their previous album “MY WORLD”.

Given this situation, fans’ reactions that Karina, who serves as a core member of the team, will further exacerbate the downward trend if she publicly dates, come as no surprise.

An official from an idol agency said, “These days, fans have a mindset similar to producers. They have pride in the time and money they have invested in the growth of idols since their debut, so they are sensitive to anything that negatively affects the team’s performance or standing.”

Some aespa fans even included threatening messages in the truck protests, saying, “If there is no apology, you will see declining sales and empty concert seats.” Some express disappointment that the idol fan culture has not matured yet.

UK media outlet BBC reported on Karina’s handwritten apology, stating, “Pop stars in South Korea and Japan work in notoriously pressurizing industries, where such personal revelations can be tricky to navigate.“

They also mentioned, “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 were often considered scandalous to fans.”

Experts advise that artists should focus on music and performance skills, which are the essence rather than relying on pseudo-dating marketing or image to ensure that they are not easily swayed by dating issues.

Pop culture critic Kim Heon-sik pointed out, “Idols who rely on surrealistic images and visuals tend to be more vulnerable to dating issues while trying not to reveal their private lives.”

Critic Kim suggested, “The business model of turning idol-fan conversations into paid services may have the opposite effect, as seen in this case. Each agency may need to reconsider their management direction to allow idols to communicate more freely and interact more humanely with fans.“