Aespa Karina’s “Heartbreaking” Comments About Female Idols Spark Heated Reactions

Aespa’s Karina is gaining attention for her honest and emotional comments about the challenges female idols face in maintaining long-term careers in the K-Pop industry.

| @katarinabluu/Instagram

The moment came during her appearance in Lee Soo Man: King of K-Pop, the new Amazon Prime Video documentary that premiered on May 13.

The documentary explores the legacy of SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo Man and features interviews with many of the label’s most well-known artists, including BoA, Super Junior‘s Leeteuk, EXO‘s Suho, NCT‘s Taeyong, and all four members of aespa.

| @aespa_official/X (formerly known as Twitter)

When speaking about her thoughts on the future, Karina opened up about a harsh reality that many fans and idols are aware of but rarely discuss publicly: the short career span of female idols.

| SM Entertainment

Karina admits that she often thinks about ways she can prolong her career.

I think about the future a lot. Because female idols don’t have long careers, I think about how to prolong it.

Our team members will always be here but society keeps changing. So we think about how we can adapt. All artists think about it. I haven’t found the answer yet, but I gave some time so I hope I’ll find it.

— aespa’s Karina

💙: Honestly female idols don't have long careers. Our members will always be here but society keeps changing. So we think about how we can adapt

Karina talking about how women tend to have shorter career in the industry. Female idols really have it hard😭 pic.twitter.com/bgkrzrU05D

— Karina♡ (@ujiminphoria) May 13, 2025

Karina’s quiet vulnerability in this scene struck a chord with many fans, who called the moment “heartbreaking” and sad.

its rly heartbreaking that this is probably at the back of their mind all time, especially now that they are in their 5th year and they saw what happened to snsd, f(x), and now rv. im tearing up https://t.co/ZVoKlHrKYE

— winter who? (@idkwinterwho) May 13, 2025

Some pointed out that despite being one of the most popular idols of her generation, Karina still carries concerns about her career longevity — something that male idols typically aren’t questioned about as often.

acknowledging how misogynistic the whole industry is towards women and how society is harsher on women careers making them last less than men’s.
They deserve all the success and a long lasting career. https://t.co/7IJgYKzBPG

— Al (@jimvbyeol) May 13, 2025

The harsh reality of being in this industry… especially under SM, a company that’s been known for its misogynistic ways. Women constantly have to fight harder and still get less respect. love and support to all women out there https://t.co/m6wbCjo6jN

— D 🦅 I&S TILT 05.26 ❤️‍🔥💄 (@driverene) May 13, 2025

The clip has since gone viral across social media platforms, where fans are praising Karina for her honesty and for shedding light on a topic that is rarely spoken about so openly in the industry.

it actually sucks how misogynistic the kpop society is, especially sm, even tho it is the ggs that are always giving the huge amount of profit to them (snsd, taeyeon, and now aespa). I love how vocal karina is with this as most are really not. https://t.co/UFAuh6sere

— jero (@taengsome) May 13, 2025

Most recently, SM Entertainment faced backlash for the lack of female idols present at their family concert tour — with the most recent stop being in LA.

Shocking Number Of Female Stars At “SMTOWN” Sparks Heated Reactions