Aespa’s Karina Goes Viral For Looking Like This Mystical Korean Animal

Ever heard of the Gumiho?

Aespa‘s Karina recently made a comeback with her group for “Girls”. In the teaser photos, Karina made waves for her new blunt cut. She was styled with full bangs and purple hair which led fans to compare her to Tomie, the titular character from the series by Junji Ito.

Karina’s concept photo. | SM Entertainment

She recently went viral for a screenshot during the girls’ performance on Studio The Choom. A fan claimed that she looked like a “baby gumiho” in the screenshot.

The tweet soon went viral with over 33,500 likes. Her pale skin, sharp features, charismatic gaze, and the way her hair fanned out behind her contributed to the likeness.

A gumiho is a mythical Korean creature that resembles a fox. It is often white, and has 9 tails compared to the usual 1 that foxes have. It is said to be seductive and preys on human livers. It has often been used in pop culture such as K-Dramas like My Roommate is A Gumiho.

My Roommate is A Gumiho. | tvN

It is often depicted with its tails behind it and either in its human or fox form.

A gumiho. | Wikiland

Thanks to perfect timing in the screenshot, Karina truly looked like a fierce but adorable gumiho!

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