Kang Ji-young, a member of the group KARA and an actress, mentioned the 'aegyo tears' incident from 12 years ago and revealed her honest feelings.
On the October 15 episode of MBC's entertainment program 'Radio Star', which featured Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Kang Young-seok, and Kang Ji-young, Kang Ji-young stated, "My last appearance on 'Radio Star' was when I was nineteen years old. After 12 years, I came back, and as soon as I entered the studio, I was so nervous because it all came back to me."
She continued, "I can't not talk about that time," and brought up the past situation of 'aegyo tears'. At that time, under the request of the MCs for aegyo, Kang Ji-young had burst into tears, resulting in a controversy over her attitude.
Kang Ji-young recalled, "At that time, 'Radio Star' was the variety show that idols feared the most. They asked me to act cute while I was in a tense state, and I ended up crying. But that became a huge issue." She also revealed, "At that time, KARA was sensitive due to contract renewal issues. To be honest, I think my head was a bit big back then," she laughed. Kim Gu-ra responded, "The atmosphere during the recording wasn't that bad. If it had really been a problem, they would have edited everything out," reminiscing together about that time.
Kang Ji-young expressed, "Since then, I've held a grudge against aegyo. So I've been studying aegyo," and shared, "Aegyo is not just about being cute; it's a technique to make the other person feel good by beautifully bending the rhythm of emotions. Now I can do it if asked," showcasing her confidence. To this, Kim Gu-ra playfully replied, "It's not necessary," eliciting laughter.
At the end, Kang Ji-young presented her own aegyo philosophy and brought the studio to a flustered state as she lowered her head. Kim Gu-ra humorously commented, "You're keeping us surprised until the end," while Jang Do-yeon added, "That last aegyo felt like, 'give it a taste.'"