[theqoo] A2O'S AIJING, FACES FURTHER ALLEGATIONS AMID CONTROVERSY OVER PARENTS' UNPAID WAGES... PUBLIC SENTIMENT IN CHINA TURNS INCREASINGLY NEGATIVE

A2O LITE member Aijing, a rookie girl group introduced by producer Lee Soo-man, has been caught up in controversy after her parents were accused of withholding employees’ wages. The controversy continues to escalate as a former employee has come forward with additional allegations.

Recently, a post written by someone claiming to be a former employee of an education company run by Aijing’s parents began circulating on Chinese social media and online communities. The former employee alleged that they had asked for their overdue wages to cover their father’s funeral expenses but received only 1,000 yuan (~US$140).

According to the post, the employee’s father was critically ill at the time, and their older sister had quit her job to care for him, leaving the employee as the family’s sole breadwinner. After their father passed away, the employee asked the company to pay their outstanding wages to cover the funeral costs but was told that the company had no money. After personally calling the company, they eventually received just 1,000 yuan.

“I worked diligently for years and even worked overtime, but when I was going through something as devastating as my father’s death, that was all they gave me. I’ll never forget it,” the former employee wrote.

Earlier, Chinese media outlets including Dahe Daily and Fengmian News reported on the 13th that a wage arrears controversy had erupted at an education company in Beijing formerly operated by Aijing’s parents. According to reports, local corporate information platforms showed court enforcement cases totaling 3.45 million yuan (~US$420,000) involving the company and Aijing’s parents.

As the controversy intensified, Aijing’s mother issued an apology on social media on the 14th. She explained that the financial situation of the education-related businesses she previously operated had deteriorated rapidly, resulting in debt disputes.

She apologized, stating that regardless of the circumstances, failing to pay the amounts owed on time was a mistake she had to acknowledge and take responsibility for. She also said she was discussing possible solutions with the parties involved.

Aijing’s mother further emphasized that the matter was her and her husband’s responsibility to resolve, stressing that their daughter had no involvement in the business or the disputes. However, additional allegations have continued to emerge despite her apology. It remains unclear whether any of the unpaid wages were actually used to finance Aijing’s entertainment career.

Public opinion in China has also shown little sign of calming down. On October 17, a hashtag suggesting that the employees’ unpaid wages had been used to support Aijing’s entertainment career climbed to the top of Weibo’s trending searches, drawing widespread attention.

Chinese media outlet Yangcheng Evening News also called for the debts to be repaid in practice, essentially arguing that no matter how well-written an apology may be, it is no substitute for paying back the money owed.

The controversy surrounding Aijing has attracted even more attention because she is a rookie who has garnered significant interest since her debut. A Chinese member of A2O LITE, a girl group produced with the involvement of producer Lee Soo-man, Aijing drew attention even before her debut for her outstanding dancing skills and visuals. Her young age and commanding stage presence earned her the nickname “Little BoA,” further raising her profile.

However, some have also called for a distinction to be made between the debt controversy surrounding her parents and Aijing’s own activities as an artist who has only just begun her career.

Meanwhile, A2O LITE made their debut on the 13th with the release of their debut single, “NEON.”

original post: here

1. The only solution is to kick her out

2. Sigh... they should've resolved the matter before she debut

3. Of course they'll have to kick her out. The Chinese sentiment is bad so are they trying to get her shielded here? Wouldn't this lead to a total crackdown in China?

4. On Twitter, some Chinese people, whether they're actual fans or people working for a company, are pretending to be Korean and trying to sway public opinion by claiming that Koreans don't care about this incident

5. I honestly wonder if the Koreans who are defending this are actually Korean at allㅋㅋ

6. They should just kick her out. Our country would hate something like this too

7. Well, why aren't they paying it back already? Don't they have the money to pay everything back?

8. I like A2O's song and the kids are cute too, but unless they are going to pay back the victims from their own pockets, having her in the group is oba

9. It's to the point that I'm amazed they even debuted her

10. Time to leave...

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