Karina’s post on Instagram before admitting breakup with Lee Jae-wook
While aespa's Karina broke up with Lee Jae-wook after publicly dating for 5 weeks, attention was drawn to the post Karina uploaded the day before admitting the breakup
On April 1st, Karina posted 9 photos taken at “KCON Hong Kong 2024” on her Instagram. In the photos, Karina wore an outfit with black and red concept and looked at the camera. She also shared photos of the Hong Kong specialty, egg tarts, conveying her recent whereabouts while enjoying the local culture.
Karina’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed the breakup, stating, “It is true that they have broken up.” Lee Jae-wook and Karina met at a fashion show for a brand held in Milan, Italy in January and developed into a romantic relationship, but they broke up about 5 weeks after publicly dating.
Lee Jae-wook’s agency C-JeS Studio explained, “Lee Jae-wook decided to break up in order to focus on the work he is currently filming, and the two will remain as colleagues who support each other.” Actor Lee Jae-wook is currently appearing in Disney+’s new series “The Impossible Heir”.
Karina’s post received various reactions from fans regarding her breakup with Lee Jae-wook. Comments such as “The ‘Karina’s boyfriend’ position is empty now?“, “I’m really disappointed. I don’t understand why two people who love each other have to break up because of fans“, “I feel sorry for Karina…“, “Publicly dating, posting an apology letter then breaking up in the end…“, “Karina is so pretty” and “Now she might receive fewer hate comments” were left.
Since February, when Karina announced her relationship with Lee Jae-wook, she has been struggling with hate comments from some fans. One fan even participated in a truck protest using a large billboard near the SM Entertainment building. The billboard read, “Why did you choose to betray your fans? Apologize directly.“
As criticism continued, Karina eventually had to upload a handwritten apology letter on SNS to calm angry fans. She said, “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. I want to show a more matured and hard-working side of myself in the future so as not to disappoint anyone. Once again, I sincerely apologize and thank you.”
Karina is currently busy preparing for aespa’s comeback scheduled for May. In June, the group will meet fans worldwide with the second world tour “2024 aespa LIVE TOUR – SYNK : Parallel Line”.
