aespa's Karina sees a huge dip in her brand reputation ranking following political controversy

aespa's Karina, who has been one of the most popular idols who was a fixture in the top tier of K-pop brand rankings, experienced a notable dip in her brand reputation for June.

She was recently spotted falling from 4th place to 26th on the June brand reputation ranking. Korean netizens quickly connected the plunge to a recent political controversy involving a photo she posted online in May.

Karina's political controversy

In the now-deleted Instagram post, Karina wore a red and black windbreaker with the number “2” on it, accompanied by a rose emoji. While seemingly harmless, the timing and symbolism sparked speculation. The red rose was associated with the 2025 presidential election, dubbed the "Rose Election" due to its occurrence in spring rather than winter. Netizens interpreted her post as a subtle political statement.

Although Karina later apologized and SM Entertainment denied any political intent, many believe the damage to her image was already done. One netizen commented, "She went from 4th to 26th. Her score literally got quartered. The political controversy seems to have hit hard.”

This netizen also included a captured photo of the ranking, which showed Karina at rank 26, after TWICE's Mina.

Korean netizens' reaction

The post garnered much attention with Korean netizens joining the conversation to share their thoughts on this matter. These netizens debated whether Karina's latest controversy affected her brand reputation. They commented:

"So does this mean Giselle is more popular than Karina now? Lol. Brand reputation rankings are just reference material. They don’t define your level."

"Most of the backlash came from women’s communities, and people think that alone would hurt Karina? Get real."

"First time seeing an idol get hate just for dropping in brand ranking."

"If there was really damage from the controversy, her ad deals would’ve been pulled. But she’s still got plenty of major campaigns."

"The brand rankings are basically a joke if influencers get awards and shoot reels just because they’re paid. Can’t believe people trust this stuff."

"Karina is still a top-tier idol no matter what."

"Only her image is ruined on these forums. In reality, she’s still a top idol. This place is just a loser hangout."

"You guys are just jealous because you know she’s still on top."

"Bitter middle-aged women. In reality, Karina’s still top tier."

"The moment politics gets involved, these communities turn into a mess. Stay strong, Karina… This is just online noise. In real life, you’re still number one."

"It’s still Jennie and Jang Won Young at the top."

"She's still representing top brands just fine."

"I've never seen any idol get this much buzz online because her brand reputation went down. lol."