K-pop girl group aespa recently found itself at the center of a 'trainee bullying' controversy. A series of anonymous direct messages circulated on social media, with one individual claiming to be a former SM Entertainment trainee who trained alongside aespa members. The posts accused the members of unfriendly behavior, specifically calling out Karina (카리나) and Giselle (지젤), sparking widespread online discussion.
According to the conversations revealed by the anonymous account, the individual claimed to have been a former SM Entertainment trainee, even stating they 'were an aespa trainee.' The posts alleged that aespa members had poor attitudes toward others at the time, particularly Giselle and Karina, with Karina specifically accused of swearing at the individual.
The anonymous allegations quickly went viral on social media, accumulating over a million views in a short period, and screenshots of the posts generated extensive discussion.
However, following the revelation, netizens' reactions were overwhelmingly skeptical, with many questioning the authenticity of the content and even suggesting it might be 'fake news.' Korean-speaking netizens analyzed the anonymous messages, noting that the Korean phrasing felt unnatural and did not resemble the typical speech patterns of native Koreans, instead appearing to be a direct translation from a translation website.
One netizen bluntly stated, "This might be the fakest thing I've ever seen." Others commented that after carefully reading the conversations, the content did not sound like something a Korean person would say, remarking, "It feels very much like Google Translate."
Furthermore, netizens pointed out that anyone can send private messages impersonating a trainee, and there have been numerous past instances of fabricated bullying accusations against idols. Therefore, they argued that the allegations should not be considered true based solely on anonymous messages.
Currently, there is no credible evidence to verify the identity of the anonymous account or the related accusations in this 'aespa trainee bullying' rumor. Neither SM Entertainment nor the aespa members have publicly responded to the matter.
Meanwhile, aespa member Ningning (닝닝) recently garnered attention for her promotional activities with BVLGARI, once again becoming a hot topic for her striking visuals.
