Chronology of Karina Being Criticized Due to a Photo Posted During the Election, Korean Netizens Even Said They Don’t Support aespa's Comeback

On May 28, 2025, Karina posted a photo on Instagram featuring herself wearing a red-black jacket with a large number 2 label on the chest, complete with a rose emoji in the caption of the post. This was perceived by some Korean netizens as a symbol of support for the People Power Party (conservative), where the red color and number 2 refer to one of the presidential candidates, Kim Moon Soo. Meanwhile, the rose is a reference to this year's election.

As soon as the post went viral, many Korean netizens reacted strongly on online community sites like theqoo. Karina's post was seen as a subtle code to support presidential candidate number 2. Netizens stated that K-pop idols should remain politically neutral, especially during election periods, leading to accusations that Karina violated celebrity ethics.

Realizing that her post had become controversial, Karina deleted the photo within hours (around the afternoon or evening of May 28, 2025). Karina then provided clarification and an apology through the Bubble app, stating that she never intended to offend or support any party and regretted the controversy that arose. 

On June 1, 2025, SM Entertainment reiterated on social media that this incident was purely a misunderstanding. Karina was only interested in the jacket design without considering its political connotations. Nevertheless, the online world in Korea heated up as many criticized why the apology was made through Bubble and not on Instagram, where the public initially saw the post. Some international fans deemed this excessive.

On June 3, 2025, netizens began coining the nickname MAGArina (a combination of MAGA from the American political slogan and Karina) as a jab at her alleged political leanings. This nickname spread quickly on X and online forums, sparking broader debates about the limits of K-pop idols' involvement in politics.

Karina's Instagram followers decreased by almost 500 thousand. Media reports indicated that most of this decline occurred because Instagram was cleaning up bot accounts and inactive accounts, not solely due to the controversy. However, many assume that the controversy also prompted some fans to unfollow.

Karina's fans (MYs) engaged in damage control by spreading the argument that many other idols use certain gestures or colors without facing such backlash. They highlighted that this harsh response is unfair and contrasts with netizens' reactions when other celebrities merely strike certain hand poses.

Some netizens wrote that they will not buy products advertised by Karina or support aespa's comeback that was just announced with the title DIRTY WORK.