Korean fans have a well-established history of going directly to a K-pop idol’s agency to express their concerns about something. On the one hand, fans of groups under HYBE labels recently laid their case at the label’s door, urging the company to sever Zionist ties by removing the US unit’s CEO, Scooter Braun. On the other hand, another group of K-pop fans accused Kareena of “betrayal” for having a boyfriend.
Espa’s Kareena recently made it to the top of gossip corners when news of her relationship with Alchemy of Souls actor Lee Jae Wook suddenly came out. Instead of congratulating the star for finding love, some of his fans posted on the electronic billboard of the truck he sent, branded, “Isn’t the love given to you by your fans enough?” Criticized him with discouraging words like.
Espa Kareena’s apology letter
On March 5, the K-pop singer quickly responded to the criticism on her Instagram, sharing a handwritten apology addressing the issue.
“First of all, I’m sorry for surprising you so much,” her letter began. Taking Espa fans’ (MY) disappointment seriously, he offered his sincere and heartfelt apology, promising to “show a mature and hard-working side” in the future. Those encountering this novel ‘apology’ may be even more surprised to learn that it is not the first of its kind to emerge from the K-pop scene.
From labeling artists as “ideals” and completely erasing their human sides, the industry continues to turn K-pop artists into mere machines.
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The infamous pressure that K-pop (and Japanese) idols have faced since time immemorial has loosened its grip on them over the years, but it’s still pretty much swallowing up their lives. Getting caught in dating news is considered synonymous with committing a sin for them. International fans have often called Korean netizens’ over-the-top “conservative” attitude as blatant harassment. Old resurfaced videos of several groups explain how, over time, many idols were not allowed access to personal mobile phones, turning romantic entanglements into scandalous affairs, resulting in a complete ban on dating. Was put in.
The example of EXO Chen immediately comes to mind, even though he is not the only one who has faced these vitriolic attacks for detailing his personal life. In January 2020, he officially revealed the news of his marriage to his non-celeb wife. Soon after, anti-fans launched a campaign for the company to kick him out of the group. Their relationship also faced heavy criticism at that time, like Kareena’s case, with protest trucks knocking on the doors of SM Entertainment. According to insider revelations, the BBC reported that these agencies wanted to sell the idols as “romantically attainable”.
In turn, several comments from astonished international fans expressed ‘sorry’ for Kareena bowing out of addressing the issue related to her personal life. Many of them also lamented the “ridiculousness” of “a 23-year-old man apologizing for having consensual sex”. A few more comments surfaced, addressing their nervousness over idols apologizing for “just being human.”
Here are some of the other comments under the post addressing Kareena’s letter:
- “A handwritten apology for doing something normal is madness”
- “I don’t believe we’re even doing this in 2024.”
- “If some of you are upset about your favorite dating, I need you all to take a step back and re-evaluate your lives. It’s very strange for me to get angry at older people for having a relationship.
- “They don’t deserve an apology, I hope she used chat gpt to write this because why do you all feel entitled to her life and decisions.”
- “Oh, how I hate Kenetz”
- “Poor lady, I hope she realizes that no person in their right mind would be angry over such a thing :((“
- “Imagine apologizing for dating, for being in love.”
- “This shouldn’t exist”
- “He didn’t do anything wrong”
- “Reasons like these explain why these companies should stop promoting parasocial relationships…”
