Aespa's Karina pens handwritten apology to fans following dating news

On Tuesday (Mar 5), Aespa member Karina uploaded a photo of a handwritten note she penned – apologising to fans who were feeling "upset". The post comes days after South Korean news outlet Dispatch reported that she was dating Alchemy Of Souls actor Lee Jae-wook.

The news was later confirmed by the celebrities' respective agencies.

The letter reads:

"Hello, this is Karina. First of all, I'm sorry for surprising you. I'm late because I'm cautious of MYs [fans of Aespa] who must have been very surprised. I know how disappointed MYs who supported me must have been and how upset they are as they recall the stories we shared together.

"I feel even more sorry because I know how you feel. I am writing this letter in the hopes that this feeling will be conveyed in some small way. The reason I'm writing this letter, while ignoring the worry that I might get hurt again, is because I wanted to convey my sincere apologies to the fans who have given me the warmest winter since I debuted.

I want to do a good job healing MYs' wounds. I have always been sincere towards MYs and even now, each and every MY is very precious to me. This post is too short to express all of my feelings, but thank you for reading.

MYs, please eat well and let’s meet in good health. I’m sorry and I'm very grateful."

Many fans, mostly those outside South Korea, were shocked by the apology and reassured Karina that she did not need to apologise.

One fan wrote: "Be happy Jimin [Karina's birth name]. You don't have to apologise. The people who demand you to do so aren't MYs...We trust you and only you. Being in a relationship or not only concerns you. You don't (need to) explain and don't say sorry."

In the days following Karina's dating news, there was an uptick in negative comments left on Aespa's social media pages. A few fans, who were mostly from South Korea, expressed their disappointment in Karina. Some even pledged that they would now only support Aespa's other members: Giselle, Winter and Ningning.

Aespa will soon embark on the second world tour which will see them performing in Singapore for the very first time.