5th Gen Star’s Viral Photo Draws Comparisons To aespa’s Karina, Sparking Heated Debate

Not many were happy with Karina being mentioned.

As the 5th generation of K-Pop continues to take shape, new idols are constantly entering the spotlight, and with that, comparisons to established stars are inevitable.

One such rising figure is Hearts2Hearts‘ Jiwoo, the leader of the latest SM Entertainment girl group. She recently found herself at the center of an unexpected visual debate that had none other than her senior, aespa‘s Karina, at the other end.

A post on the popular Korean forum Pann recently went viral after claiming Jiwoo looked “on Karina’s level” in a specific photo. Karina, leader of aespa, is widely recognized as one of the top visuals in K-Pop’s 4th generation, making any comparison to her instantly attention-grabbing.

The post quickly gained traction, surpassing 18,000 views in just a few hours, and drew a wave of reactions from fans.

While the original post appeared to praise Jiwoo’s visuals light-heartedly, the inclusion of Karina’s name reignited a familiar debate in K-Pop fandoms — the ethics and consequences of comparing idols in such debates.

| Pann

Some users were quick to support Jiwoo, complimenting her visuals and natural charm. Others, however, criticized the post for unnecessarily dragging Karina into the conversation to gain attention or stir controversy.

| Pann

• “It’s so obvious this post is pretending to go viral by constantly name-dropping senior idols, lol. They keep bringing up Karina with Ian, too, writing posts about it, then go into the comments to pretend they’re calling out H2H members for media play. Then, in another comment, they act like a H2H fan and say the members are prettier while putting Karina down. It’s so obvious. Do they think we can’t tell? lol pathetic.”
• “She’s so pretty”
• “I’m genuinely curious, why do people keep dragging Karina into this? It’s already turning into another comparison war with people trashing her.”
• “She looks so gentle and pretty.”
• “Her face is seriously gorgeous. I was shocked because she looked way prettier than in other members’ fancams. Ian is cute, and Jiwoo is just straight-up pretty.”