A K-Pop star has been forced to apologize to furious fans for having a boyfriend.
On this side of the globe, fans can't wait for rumors dropping of who their favorite music star is in a relationship with.
In fact, many Americans will scour the web in the effort of finding out the latest information.
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In countries such as South Korea though, things are very different.
It's common for K-pop agencies to promote their stars as romantically obtainable, with stars in Japan having 'no dating' clauses in their contract.
Just a decade ago, it was normal for K-pop agencies to ban new stars from entering relationships or from even having a mobile phone.
While it may not be banned in 2024, admissions of a relationship are still considered a scandal among K-Pop fans.
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And recent evidence of that comes with South Korean singer Karina, who fronts the girl group Aespa.
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In a hand-written apology, Karina promised fans she will 'heal the wounds' after it emerged that she is dating the actor Lee Jae-wook.
Frustrated and furious, fans drove a truck to the headquarters of SM Entertainment, which formed and manages Aespa, with a very simple message.
South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports they held an electronic sign demanding an apology.
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The message read: "Is the love to you by your fans not enough? Why did you choose to betray the fans? Please apologise directly. Otherwise, you will see a decrease in album sales and empty concert seats."
Karina is by far the largest member of the group with over 12 million followers on Instagram.
The singer, whose real name is Yu Ji-min, penned on that account: "I apologise for surprising you greatly.
"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."
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She added: "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."
The singer also promised to 'show more maturity and work harder going forward to all [my fans] without disappointment.'
It is not the first time the world of K-Pop has been embroiled in dating controversy.
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In 2018, the stock of record label Cube Entertainment dropped massively after two of their biggest artists, Hyuna and E-Dawn, began dating.
As for Karina, some of her Instagram followers have backed her relationship status.
"Apologise for loving someone? You don't need to do this, you deserve to be happy," one person wrote.
Topics: K-pop, Music, Social Media, World News, Sex and Relationships
Callum Jones