Aespa Shares Laughter During Acceptance Speech at the 2025 Asia Star Entertainer Awards Amid Divided Opinions on Their ‘Unprofessional’ Behavior
On May 28, KST, the popular girl group aespa celebrated a triumphant evening at the 2025 Asia Star Entertainer Awards, held at the Yokohama K-Arena in Japan, where they took home three prestigious accolades.
Starting their night off right, the group was honored with the The Platinum (Bonsang) award, sharing the spotlight with other notable artists like ENHYPEN, IVE, and NiziU, among others. As they approached the microphone to express their gratitude, member Karina made a lighthearted slip, mistakenly referring to aespa as “aespo,” which led to a wave of laughter from her and the audience. Unable to continue her speech due to the giggles, she quickly handed the mic to Winter.
Winter also found it hard to keep a straight face and, after a brief attempt to speak, squealed, “I can’t do this!” before passing the baton to Ningning, who ended the speech on a more serious note with a simple “Thank you” in Japanese.
While many fans found this spontaneous moment endearing and hilarious, not everyone reacted positively. Some netizens voiced their concerns about the group’s behavior, labeling it as “unprofessional” for a prestigious event. This criticism was compounded by a recent controversy involving Karina, who had made headlines for a politically charged SNS post featuring her in a red jacket with the number ‘2,’ potentially linking her to the conservative People Power Party in South Korea.
Commenters disparaging aespa’s demeanor during their acceptance ceremony expressed sentiments like, > “Wow honestly it’s not that funny..” and > “They’re acting like the world revolves around them and the rest of the people are just NPCs.” Others raised eyebrows at the appropriateness of their behavior, with one noting, > “This is their workplace and they are acting extremely unprofessional.”
TRENDINGAmidst the mixed reactions, aespa also secured other significant awards at the same ceremony, such as ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year,’ a testament to their continued success in the industry. As they navigate their star-studded careers, it seems that they are facing as much scrutiny as acclaim.