Karina will perform solo at Waterbomb Seoul on July 5, drawing major attention from fans and media alike. Her participation thrilled many male fans, some of whom purchased premium tickets and praised her strong stage presence. Meanwhile, female-centered forums reacted critically, framing her appearance as politically charged and inappropriate for her image.
Karina joins Waterbomb lineup for Seoul performance
Karina of the popular girl group aespa will perform solo at ‘Waterbomb Seoul 2025’ on July 5. On June 10, the festival’s organizers revealed the lineup for the three-day event. It will take place from July 4 to 6 at the outdoor Global Stage in KINTEX, Ilsan. Karina will appear on Saturday as part of Team Green. Fans are already thrilled, especially as she recently became the new face of Sprite in February.
Global reach of Waterbomb expands to 13 cities
Waterbomb has cemented its status as a leading summer water music festival. This year, it will tour 13 cities including Seoul, Busan, Sokcho, and overseas locations such as Manila, Hainan, Macao, Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Taipei, Bangkok, and Dubai. The 2025 Seoul lineup includes top artists like Kai, Kep1er, Loco, Ash Island, Crush, Kwon Eun-bi, Baekho, fromis_9, Lee Young-ji, PH-1, Chungha, Minhyuk of BTOB, Sik-K, KISS OF LIFE, Kim Ha-on, 2NE1, GRAY, tripleS, Park Jin-young, Jay Park, Artemis, Ten, Billlie, Jeon Somi, Lee Chang-sub, ITZY, and We Dem Boyz.
Buzz builds for Karina at Waterbomb Seoul 2025
Karina’s solo participation drew major interest, especially from male fans. On communities like MLBPARK, users expressed excitement about seeing her live and even bought ₩150,000 tickets. Many posts speculated about her outfit or physical appearance, pointing out her well-known figure. Some users noted that because Sprite sponsors Waterbomb and Karina models for Sprite, her appearance was a natural fit.
Male fans show strong interest in Karina appearance
Karina’s male fans, particularly in communities like MLBPARK, fueled much of the anticipation. Some purchased tickets just to see her. Discussions revolved around her visual appeal and stage presence, with several posts highlighting her curvy yet slender figure. Fans also linked her Sprite endorsement to her participation, adding to the excitement.
Controversy over Karina and Waterbomb on female forums
In contrast, female-oriented communities like theqoo responded negatively. Members ridiculed the event as low-grade and criticized Karina for taking part. Remarks suggested she changed her image to appeal to male fans or claimed Waterbomb was the only stage that suited her. Although some comments sounded like praise, they were mostly sarcastic and framed Karina as lacking dignity for choosing such a venue.
Online backlash against Karina unlikely to affect popularity
Tensions deepened due to politics. theqoo is known for supporting President Lee Jae-myung. They took offense at Karina once wearing a red jacket with the number 2 before the presidential election. Red and the number 2 symbolize the opposition party, People Power. After SM Entertainment announced legal action against malicious commenters, users stopped direct attacks. Instead, they resorted to veiled mockery to bypass potential consequences.
Fortunately, the influence of communities like theqoo has declined. For instance, when female-dominated forums targeted BTS’s Suga over a scooter incident, he suffered no serious backlash. Similarly, despite recent criticism, Karina’s popularity remains strong. It seems unlikely that current online attacks will damage her standing in the industry.
Here’s a link to MLBPARK. Here’s a link to theqoo.
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So excited Karina’s gonna be at Waterbomb! But I’m curious how she’s gonna do a solo performance since she only has one solo song, ‘Up.’ Is she planning on doing cover songs?