K-pop star Karina apologizes amid dating news uproar

SEOUL (TVBS News) — Renowned South Korean girl band "aespa"'s leader, Karina, issued a public apology on Tuesday (March 5) via social media following her newly revealed romance.

Karina's relationship with actor Lee Jae-wook was recently exposed and both individuals' agencies have confirmed the couple is in the early dating stage.

Karina posted a handwritten letter on Instagram, expressing regret for possibly surprising or causing potential emotional harm to fans. She emphasized their importance and vowed to improve herself and work diligently continually.

However, some fans could not accept the news of Karina's love life, leading to defections among followers. Some even protested at the SM Entertainment Building, believing that Karina should break up soon otherwise it could risk ruining her career.

Regardless of the uproar, many rational fans voiced that Karina hadn't done anything wrong and didn't need to apologize, pledging their continued support.

According to Dispatch, Karina and Lee Jae-wook met at the Milan Fashion Week in January and have been dating since then, even with Karina's busy schedule. Since Karina still lives at a dormitory with other band members, most of their meetings took place near Lee's residence.