Rhea Raj, aespa’s Resurfaced Interaction Sparks Online Racism Debate Over Karina’s Hand Gesture: ‘Such Racist And Rude Way’ [WATCH]

A brief interaction between singer Rhea Raj and aespa has unexpectedly returned to the spotlight more than a year after it originally took place. Footage of the 2025 meeting has resurfaced online, prompting renewed discussion about the way the K-pop group’s members interacted with Raj, who is also known to K-pop fans as the older sister of KATSEYE member Lara.

Raj is not a K-pop idol herself, but her connection to the genre has grown through Lara’s career. Before Lara’s debut with KATSEYE, Raj had already crossed paths with several well-known names in the industry, including aespa’s Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning.

The interaction took place in 2025, before Raj became associated with the HYBE artist roster. At the time, the meeting attracted relatively little attention. However, footage from the encounter has recently circulated again on X, formerly known as Twitter, where users have been analyzing the brief exchange frame by frame.

Karina’s Gesture Becomes the Focus

In the resurfaced footage, Raj can be seen greeting the four aespa members individually. The interaction itself is short, but one particular moment involving Karina has become the main subject of online discussion.

After shaking Raj’s hand, Karina appears to move with her own hand that some viewers have interpreted as wiping or brushing it. The gesture has prompted speculation about what may have happened during the interaction and why Karina moved her hand in that way.

One social media post went further, accusing the members of treating Raj differently because of her race. The post stated, “Why are the aespa members treating Katseye member Lara’s sister in such a racist and rude way? Especially Karina wipes her hand after greeting her….”

Another commented, “It’s like meeting a bunch of school bullies.”

Other viewers have also focused on the expressions and body language of the aespa members during the brief meeting, with some describing their reactions as distant or dismissive.

However, the available footage does not provide a confirmed explanation for Karina’s hand movement. Because the clip is short and captures only a limited portion of the encounter, it is not possible to establish from the video alone what prompted the gesture or what Karina intended by it.

Online Allegations Remain Unconfirmed

The resurfaced video has therefore led to competing interpretations. Some viewers have treated the gesture as evidence of disrespect, while others have urged caution and pointed out that the footage may not contain the full context of the interaction.

Neither aespa nor SM Entertainment has provided a confirmed explanation regarding the specific 2025 encounter or the gesture being discussed online. As a result, the allegation that the interaction was racially motivated remains an interpretation circulating among social media users rather than a fact. The renewed discussion also comes at a time when aespa members have individually faced several unrelated online controversies.

Karina’s Recent Converse Controversy

Karina recently became the subject of a separate controversy surrounding a Converse promotional image. Critics argued that the lighting and composition of the advertisement evoked imagery associated with the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.

Converse subsequently removed the advertisement and apologized, saying, “We’re sorry. We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong.” The company also said it was working to remove the image from places where it had appeared.

There was no established evidence that Karina herself intended the imagery as a racist reference, and reports noted that Karina and SM Entertainment had not publicly addressed the controversy.

Other aespa Members Face Separate Online Discussions

Ningning has also recently faced online attention after changing her Instagram profile picture to an edited version of the default avatar featuring a raised middle finger. Some online users connected the change to complaints surrounding aespa’s VIP send-off event in Brazil, although the reason for Ningning’s choice was not established.

The Brazil send-off itself generated complaints from some fans, with reports saying attendees criticized the brief nature of their interaction with the group. One report said fans who purchased a VIP package described the interaction as lasting approximately 25 seconds.

Meanwhile, older posts and imagery associated with Giselle have periodically resurfaced online, prompting separate debates about her personal aesthetic and the way some social media users interpret references in her posts.

Short Clip Leaves Room for Interpretation

For now, the renewed attention remains centered on the old interaction between Rhea Raj and aespa. The footage has prompted strong reactions because viewers are interpreting a very brief gesture in different ways, but the available video does not provide enough context to establish the reason behind it.

As the clip continues to circulate, discussion surrounding Karina’s gesture and the group’s interaction with Raj is likely to continue online. However, without an explanation from those involved, the meaning behind the moment remains unclear.

The episode also illustrates how older K-pop footage can suddenly regain attention when it is rediscovered by social media users, with moments that initially passed unnoticed becoming the subject of intense scrutiny months or even years later.