aespa Karina’s Latest Apology Sparks Rage Towards SM Entertainment

Fans are even more furious at SM following the apology.
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Koreaboo

SM Entertainment recently unveiled aespa’s new lightstick ahead of the group’s upcoming Seoul concerts. While labeled as a “Version 2,” the company surprised fans by completely changing the original design rather than upgrading it, leading to divided opinions online.

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| @aespa_official/X (formerly Twitter)

The bigger issue, however, came with how the lightstick will be sold. SM announced that fans would only be able to purchase it on-site at booths outside aespa’s concerts on August 29, 30, and 31.

aespa Shock Fans With Completely Redesigned Lightstick, Sparking Mixed Reactions

With no online pre-orders available ahead of the event, fans will be forced to queue in the summer heat if they want to secure one.

In the midst of growing frustration, aespa’s leader Karina reached out on Bubble to apologize. She revealed that she had asked for online sales well in advance, even before the new lightstick was revealed, but delays in production meant SM could not meet the timeline. She added that more booths would be set up to ease congestion but admitted she felt bad that fans would still struggle with long lines in hot weather.

Karina: “I’m also really, really upset about the lightsticks only being sold on-site… I begged them to release them online first, even before they were revealed, but apparently there was some issue during production so they couldn’t meet the deadline.”

Karina: “They say they’ll try to increase the number of booths as much as possible, but in this heat ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”

Karina: “I’m so, so sorry. I wanted to make sure you could enjoy the concert happily…”

Karina’s apology, however, has only fueled stronger backlash against SM Entertainment.

Many believe it was unfair for the idol to take responsibility for the company’s poor planning, pointing out that this is not the first time she has been put in the position of addressing problems created by management. Instead of easing anger, her words sparked further outrage, with fans criticizing SM for once again using her to absorb the criticism meant for them.

As aespa’s concerts draw closer, fans continue to express disappointment in how the situation was handled, saying the blame lies with SM, not Karina.

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