SM Entertainment Apologizes For aespa Karina’s Controversial Upload

SM Entertainment has shared an apology for aespa Karina‘s controversial Instagram upload.
In a statement shared by SM Entertainment, they have apologized for Karina’s post and stated there was no meaning behind it.
This is SM Entertainment.
We apologize for the concern caused by an upload made by our artist, Karina.
There were no hidden intentions or purposes by her upload and she immediately deleted the post after realizing there could be misunderstandings. We are truly sorry for unintentionally causing concern.
We will also be more careful and put in more effort to prevent something like this happening in the future. We hope that the artist’s intentions [on making the post] will no longer be distorted or framed with certain intentions. We will do our best to protect Karina and all of our artists.
— SM Entertainment
Earlier, Karina uploaded a post that some Koreans thought represented her political views. Currently, South Korea is preparing for their 21st Presidential Election. Candidates are often recognized by their party’s color and number. For instance, the Democratic party candidate is Lee Jae Myung, whose color is blue and is number one. Netizens thought that because Karina’s jacket was red and had a number two, she is a supporter of Kim Moon Soo, the current ruling party candidate from the People Power Party known for his conservative views.