Rather than thinking they weren't gonna succeed, I just thought that they were kinda ahead of times when they debuted. The tomboyish, tough girl look was what won me over really, but I think K-pop wasn't at that point where they liked that kind of image yet. There was another girl group that time called Storm who had a strong image like Kara, but didn't get the popularity that both Kara and Storm deserved imo. SNSD and Wonder Girls were the popular concepts and therefore gained more attention.
Fast forward to today, and hardly anyone remembers Storm [ahhhh, I miss them ;__;], but Kara pushed through, though losing a member and gaining two new ones, and have finally gained success and found their niche in the k-pop industry. I'm glad Lee Young Ja recognizes their energy and enthusiasm now. ^^