A2O LITE Member Aijing's Mother Apologizes Over Unpaid Wages Claim

The mother of Aijing, a member of new K-POP girl group A2O LITE, has publicly apologized amid a controversy over unpaid wages linked to a business she previously operated in China. A2O LITE is the rookie group led by Lee Soo-man, who serves as a key producer and visionary leader at A2O Entertainment.

In a message posted to her Weibo account, a Chinese social media platform, on Oct, 14, Aijing's mother wrote, "I sincerely apologize for the concern caused by recent personal matters." She explained that she had previously run an education business, but that the company fell into serious financial trouble as its management deteriorated, leading to disputes over debt.

"No matter what objective circumstances there were, failing to pay the promised amounts on time is a mistake I must face and take responsibility for," she added.

She said she had remained in contact with creditors and affected employees to try to resolve the issue quickly. "Given the current financial situation, I cannot settle all the debts at once," she wrote. "But I am doing my best to clear them step by step, through methods such as installment payments, until the problem is fully resolved."

She was careful to distance her daughter from the situation. "The responsibility for this matter lies with us, the parents, and it is something we must handle properly," she said. "My child knows nothing about the business I used to run or the debt situation. I hope that the adults' mistakes do not cause any misunderstanding directed at her."

A2O Entertainment held its rookie group debut showcase on Oct. 12 at KINTEX Hall 2 in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where it unveil the first stages of A2O SOUL and A2O LITE. Aijing drew attention that day for her appearance and performance style, which fans compared to those of BoA.

A day after the debut stage, allegations surfaced in China claiming that employees at a Beijing-based education company run by Aijing's mother had gone unpaid for approximately two years. A2O Entertainment has not issued a formal statement. The agency is reportedly closely monitoring how quickly the story spread from Chinese sources to Korean online communities almost immediately after the allegations emerged.

Despite the controversy, A2O LITE is off to a strong commercial start. The group's debut song, "NEON," reached No. 1 on Melon's main TOP100 chart just 29 hours after its release.