BTS’s J-Hope, full name Jung Ho-seok, has set the K-pop world ablaze once again, this time with his new track Sweet Dreams ft. Miguel. The song has quickly become a fan favorite, and it’s not just the music that’s getting people talking. To promote the song, J-Hope has been performing the catchy hook step with several idols from popular K-pop groups, including SEVENTEEN, ENHYPHEN, and TWICE. But one collaboration in particular has caused quite a stir among fans: J-Hope’s dance with Karina from aespa. At first, the collaboration seemed harmless, just another fun moment in the K-pop world. But, as the video gained traction, something unexpected happened — fans began expressing frustration and disappointment. Here’s why.
The controversial dance
Here’s some important context you need to know: aespa is a girl group that debuted in 2020 under SM Entertainment. Over time, they’ve built a strong, friendly relationship with NewJeans, another popular K-pop girl group. However, NewJeans has recently found themselves at the center of controversy due to an ongoing legal battle with their managing company, ADOR. ADOR, in turn, is a subsidiary of HYBE — the same entertainment giant that houses BTS, the global superstars, including J-Hope, who is a member of the group.
Now, enter the collaboration between Karina and J-Hope. With aespa’s ties to SM Entertainment and NewJeans’ ties to HYBE, some fans have started accusing Karina of betraying her friends in NewJeans by participating in a dance with J-Hope. The fans feel that this act is a sign of disloyalty, as they believe Karina is siding with HYBE, thus breaking the unspoken bond between aespa and NewJeans.
Netizens react
The controversy has sparked debates across social media, with many aespa and NJZ fans calling Karina out for “not being a girls’ girl” and accusing her of disrespecting her supposed friendship with NewJeans. “How can ya’ll celebrate this?” was one comment on a now deleted post. Another comment was, “No actually I don’t believe this because after everything njz been thru winter went on live singing magnetic, now karina wanna collab with horsey (J-hope) like its too much…sisterhood was not fu**ing genuine and they’re gonna get their karma for the backstabbing.” One more comment was, “She’s deffo not a girls girl because how you dancing with a guy who’s company is sabotaging your friends group?”
BTS fans have obviously rallied in support of J-Hope claiming this scandal is only from one side. One ARMY said, “Do they really think that the entire world revolves around them?” Another comment was, “Wait so why are they mad at jhope????💀 all that stuff has nothing to do with him.” One more comment was, “What pathetic and horrible fans!! The life of an artist is to interact and do what they know, let live her !!” Another ARMY said, “She must have been scared of that irrational reaction from those who claimed to support her… Obsessive fans only know how to cause disappointment.”
Some believe that the whole thing is being blown out of proportion and that Karina is simply doing her job as a performer, enjoying a collaboration with a fellow idol without any deeper meaning behind it. Others, however, are steadfast in their opinion that this collaboration reflects a deeper issue of loyalty and friendship within the K-pop industry, especially considering the current tensions between NewJeans and HYBE. As the situation unfolds, it’s turning into more of a he-says, she-says debate among netizens rather than a matter of substance. That said, it will be interesting to see if this drama impacts the relationships between artists, especially those from HYBE and other agencies.
