Aespa‘s NingNing has gained attention after directly mentioning the offensive comments on her Instagram.
In May, one fan responded to an Instagram post on NingNing’s account, saying, “It’s okay, Lingling,” and the idol responded with her displeasure with the comment.
Fans took issue with the comments because terms like “Lingling” or “Ringring” are often treated as coded slur words against East Asians in general. Ningning had previously talked about being sensitive about misspelling or mispronunciation of her name.
While NingNing seemingly addressed the issues on social media, the idol brought up the issue in a recent video on aespa’s YouTube channel.
In backstage clips from Aespa’s “Supernova” promotions, NingNing directly addressed what had been happening on her Instagram, explaining, “I saw this comment yesterday. A fan commented, ‘It’s okay, Lingling.’”
The idol then showed how she corrected the netizen in the comments, and it must have been a huge issue for SM Entertainment to ensure it made the cut for the video released a month after the initial issue.
Although NingNing had a smile on her face when explaining what happened, netizens shared the clip online and emphasized how fans should stop calling her the wrong name, praising the idol for directly addressing what has been happening.
her name is ningning remember that! pic.twitter.com/3y9AiHARRf
— ningning loops (@ningloop) June 16, 2024
aespa ’Supernova’ Inkigayo Behind The Scene
🦋 : Kemarin aku lihat komentar, seorang fans menulis ’Its ok Lingling!’ jadi aku jawab Hey~🤨 aku bukan Lingling, aku #NINGNING
Guys please remember that!! she’s #NINGNING not Lingling.
#닝닝 #宁宁 #宁艺卓 #ニンニン #에스파 #aespa pic.twitter.com/za7TI0lGjm
— NINGNING INDONESIA (@YIZHUO_ID) June 17, 2024
Ningning talking about reading a comment that says “it’s okay, lingling” pic.twitter.com/Rs0qfS0gfm
— Jazz (@mjkmwntr) June 16, 2024
yall are too comfortable running around w the ningning lingling joke that shit is just straight up sinophobia
— 唔係鍵盤戰士 (@heechwang) June 18, 2024
she’s NINGNING pic.twitter.com/g8UZolVd5y
— aespa pics (@aespapic) June 16, 2024
You can read more about the initial issue below.
Aespa Fans Outraged By Offensive Comments Under Ningning’s Instagram Post
Source: aespa/YouTube