Aespa's lead vocalist, Karina, recently triggered a debate among K-pop aficionados when she revealed what she believes to be a common falsehood uttered by K-pop stars, which promptly provoked a variety of responses from different fandoms. Subsequently, fans of aespa, known as MYs, quickly rallied in defense of the idol.

The controversial statement emerged during Karina's guest appearance on the YouTube entertainment show "My Alcohol Diary," hosted by rapper Lee Young Ji. Post-broadcast, the channel shared additional snippets from the episode that didn't make it to the final cut.

During these off-air moments, Karina astounded Lee Young Ji by admitting that she had completed the game "Gardenscapes," reaching an impressive level 9926, and ranked among the top 1% of players in Korea. Lee Young Ji, taken aback by this revelation, questioned how Karina managed this feat amidst her hectic schedule.

Karina responded, "I do have a lot of time. It's all a lie when celebrities say they don't have time," adding, "How much time is spent during the travel time and waiting time for something, but you can't play even one game in the meantime?"

This remark by Karina ignited a flurry of reactions among K-pop fans and internet users. Some concurred with Karina's viewpoint, dismissing the statement that idols are too busy as exaggerated.

Statements such as "They say they are busy with work, but they have time to party" and "They have a lot of time, they can even watch movies I don't know" were among the supportive comments.

However, not everyone agreed with Karina's assertion. Critics accused her of attempting to "generalize" the experiences of all idols, considering aespa's less frequent comebacks and their lack of involvement in the creation of their own music.

Some dissenting voices included comments like, "They can't speak for everybody," "We get it you're jobless," and "If she said this, what would the celebrities who said they didn't have time become?"

Meanwhile, Karina, as a representative K-pop idol of Korea, commenced hosting duties for the Busan Expo on June 21. She was present at the competitive presentation for the 2030 World Expo, held at the BIE General Assembly in Paris, France on June 20. Her impressive fluency in English and convincing case for hosting the Expo at the assembly, right from the opening video to the closing, captured everyone's attention.