aespa Karina’s Shocking Viral Nickname Sparks Ruthless Comments From Korean Netizens
“MAGArina” — the scathing nickname international fans dubbed aespa’s Karina following her recent political controversy — has reached Korean netizens, sparking hot reactions online.
Earlier this week, Karina found herself embroiled in controversy after posting an Instagram photo wearing a black and red jacket with the number two on it, accompanied by a rose emoji in her caption.
Korean netizens interpreted the post as a sign of the idol publicly showing support for South Korea’s conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo, leading to severe negative reactions. While the post was quickly deleted, the fierce criticism has continued, making it as far as Korean national news.
Following the backlash, many international fans dubbed the aespa star “MAGArina” — a play on United States President Donald Trump’s controversial slogan “Make America Great Again,” often shortened to “MAGA.”
Now, the nickname is gaining attention on the popular Korean community platform The Qoo. In just a few hours, a post titled “New Nickname for Karina That’s Popped Up Overseas” has gone viral with more than 60,000 views and 600 comments.
The top auto-suggest search term on Twitter right now is MAGArina. MAGArina = Make America Great Again (Trump’s campaign slogan) + Karina.
— Viral TheQoo Post
Korean netizens showed little sympathy in the comments, with many appearing to embrace the harsh nickname.
- “She probably likes it.”
- “Wow, seriously? It suits her 👏👏”
- “Her global image is ruined now. That’s what happens when you show your true colors.”
- “She sure collects nicknames.”
- “I used to find her pretty, but now, after all this… ugh.”
- “Shouldn’t her family be throwing a party or something? Congrats, congrats.”
Following the initial controversy, SM Entertainment released an official statement apologizing for the post and claiming that there was no meaning or intention behind it. Karina herself also sent an apology message to fans through the online fan messaging platform Bubble.
