Karina's Friend Han Su-A Gets Slammed for 'Using' Her, Despite Asking Permission First

Actress Han Su-A says she saw aespa's Karina "almost every day for a year," and says she checked with Karina before talking about it. Her Instagram comments filled with accusations that she's "using" the idol's name anyway.

The trigger was a YouTube appearance on the 10th, on the channel '우리 사이엔 편지가 있다' (roughly, "There Are Letters Between Us"). The episode title asked who knew Han Su-A loved Karina this much. The answer, judging by the comments, was a lot of people who weren't happy about it.

What she actually said

Han Su-A said ITZY's Ryujin introduced her to Karina. They started with light chat, then found a lot in common and got close fast. Her mother would ask what she was up to, and she'd say she was with Jimin (Karina's real name) again. Her mother's reply: "Isn't she busy?"

Karina would come over after finishing schedules and eat dinner at her place. Han Su-A called her "the person who broke the idea of what a grown-up friend is."

Then came the anecdote that got the headlines. Han Su-A once asked Karina when she first felt close to her. Karina's first answer was, "When I showered with you?" Han Su-A asked for one she could say on air, and Karina offered: "When I just kept wanting to eat meals with you."

The two also call each other "yeobo," a Korean term of endearment usually used between spouses. Han Su-A explained it came from a day when Karina was working and she was home, and she greeted Karina with, "Honey, why are you so late? I made soybean paste soup."

She also said she'd worried that Karina, being a superstar, might not like being mentioned. Reports say she contacted Karina in advance to ask.

The backlash, and the pushback

Critics in Han Su-A's comments told her to stop using Karina's fame and to be known as an actress instead. Some asked whether being Karina's friend was all she had to show off. Supporters called the pile-on excessive, asked why a friendship should be hidden, and said private relationships aren't fans' business. The fandom itself is reportedly divided.

A letter fueled the fire. A fan account posted Han Su-A's written note to Karina on the 10th, addressed to "Jimin, who asks me where I'm going every time I get up." It says Karina saved her many times without knowing it, and recalls a day Han Su-A burst into tears the moment Karina walked through her front door. Whether it was meant as a public gesture is not clear from the posts. Some commenters found it too intense for a friendship of about a year.

Neither Han Su-A nor Karina's agency has publicly addressed the reaction. Fans clocked the timing of the letter circulating alongside the video, which didn't help. It's messy, and it's mostly about where fans think the line sits between a celebrity's friend talking about her and "cashing in."

What theqoo users said

1. 1

   Stop using Yoo Jimin, is the demand from one commenter.

2. 2

   Another says Karina's fans are getting trolled right now because of Han Su-A.

3. 3

   One asks whether being known as "Karina's bestie" is all she has for the rest of her life.

4. 4

   A commenter says some things on the program didn't need to be said.

5. 5

   Someone tells her to cut down on the mentions.

6. 6

   Another asks her to let Yoo Jimin off the hook, stop mentioning her and be more careful.

7. 7

   One says Karina's fans are going wild because of her, sarcastically asks if she got what she wanted, and tells her to stay away from Jimin.

8. 8

   A commenter asks what the point is of talking so much about Karina when it could stay private between the two, and whether she really had to say it publicly and hurt fans' feelings.

9. 9

   Another asks who would even know her if not for Jimin.

10. 10

    One sarcastically says they'll root for her to become actress Han Su-A, not Karina's friend Han Su-A.

11. 11

    Someone says she keeps provoking fans over and over, asks what she's trying to do, and whether she'll feel better watching them badmouth her.

12. 12

    A commenter says they told her to get a job, notes she got one, and asks why she's still telling them to talk about Karina.

13. 13

    One says it's getting severe how hard she's trying to go viral as Karina's friend.

14. 14

    Another says she's a nobody, so of course she'll use the friendship to sell herself.

15. 15

    A commenter thinks people are angrier because she's actually closer to Winter in reality but doesn't act like it.

16. 16

    Someone argues that if she were truly close to Karina she wouldn't act like this, and asks why she'd say things like "you can meet a better man" to an idol.

17. 17

    One says that if a friend of only a year sent them a letter with that vibe, they'd feel a bit taken aback.

18. 18

    Another notes they haven't even known each other for a year and says they're more jealous that she got so close to someone like that so quickly.

19. 19

    A commenter says Karina will feel uneasy about this and asks why Han Su-A is like that.

20. 20

    One jokes that the moment Karina gets close to an actor, they ruin her, naming Lee Jaewook and Han Su-A.

21. 21

    Someone says the fans are a mess.

22. 22

    A final commenter asks whether friends aren't allowed to call each other friends.