'A2O LITE' Member Aijing’s Parents Face Wage-Arrears Controversy; Further Allegations Follow Mother’s Apology

Aijing (13), a Chinese member of rookie girl group A2O LITE, produced by Lee Soo-man, is embroiled in a controversy over her parents’ alleged failure to pay wages.

Chinese media outlets reported that employees at an education company in Beijing run by Aijing’s parents were owed wages. According to local reports, court-ordered enforcement actions against the company and her parents totaled about 3.45 million yuan (approximately 690 million won).

After the controversy erupted, a person identifying herself as Aijing’s mother posted a statement on Weibo on the 14th, apologizing. “I previously ran an education-related business, but the company fell into serious financial difficulty as its business situation deteriorated rapidly. Failing to make payments on time was a mistake that I must face and take responsibility for,” she said, apologizing again. She added that she was discussing ways to resolve the matter with the parties involved, but drew a distinction between the dispute and her daughter: “The responsibility for this matter lies with us, the parents, and we must resolve it appropriately. Our child has no connection to the business we previously ran or the related dispute.”

Even after the mother’s apology, the controversy has continued to grow, with further allegations from a former employee who says they were affected. On the 18th, a post spread on Chinese social media in which a person identified as A said they had worked at the company. “I asked for my overdue wages so I could hold a funeral for my critically ill father, but despite working overtime for years, I received only 1,000 yuan (about 200,000 won),” the post said. The previous day, a hashtag suggesting that the daughter’s debut had been supported while employees went unpaid rose to No. 1 on Weibo’s real-time search rankings, as criticism continued locally.

Born in 2013, Aijing previously won the youth division at the 2024 World of Dance China regional competition and drew public attention as a so-called “BoA look-alike” with impressive dance skills. A2O LITE began its activities after releasing its debut song “NEON” on the 13th; the song topped Melon’s Top 100 chart, among other milestones, drawing significant attention. While the group is now attracting sharply contrasting reactions, its agency, A2O Entertainment, has yet to issue an official statement on the controversy.