[theqoo] DUBBED "CHINESE BOA" CREATED BY LEE SOOMAN, A2O LITE FACES ALLEGATIONS OF UNPAID WAGES JUST ONE DAY AFTER DEBUT

On the 12th, Lee Sooman held a joint debut showcase for the boy group A2O SOUL and the group A2O LITE at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, officially announcing his return to the K-pop market.

[...]

Among the members, 13-year-old Aijing captivated the audience with dance skills reminiscent of BoA’s early days and a styling choice that recreated the hair color BoA wore during that era.

However, the excitement was short-lived. Less than 24 hours after their debut, a controversy regarding unpaid wages erupted.

On this day, allegations regarding unpaid wages at a company managed by Aijing's mother spread rapidly, primarily across Chinese online communities. According to local media outlets such as Jimu News and Dahe Daily, the company is an education-related business based in Beijing; Aijing's mother serves as the legal representative, while her father acts as the auditor. Former employees claimed that after facing persistent wage arrears since 2024, they had agreed to a staggered repayment plan following labor arbitration; however, Aikjng's parents honored the agreement for only the first three months before defaulting on payments again. As evidence, the employees presented a promissory note detailing approximately 40,000 yuan (6K USD) in outstanding wages, along with records of conversations demanding payment.

Data from a corporate information platform also revealed that, as of August 31, two court-ordered enforcement cases had been filed against the company and Aijing's parents. The total amount subject to enforcement reaches approximately 3.45 million yuan (515K USD).

However, Dahe Daily noted that it has not been clearly established whether Aijing's parents have been officially listed as habitual defaulters, nor whether the entire enforcement amount, approaching 700 million won, consists of unpaid wages.

Netizens are strongly criticizing the parents' attitude, pointing out that while they had the funds to send their 13-year-old child to South Korea for her debut, they failed to pay their employees' wages.

Amidst this situation, Lee Sooman’s side has not issued a statement.

source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/home/article/076/0004455838

original post: here

1. People said those were rumors, but it's true...?

2. Ah.. That brown hair member?? Sigh... Please pay them back fast

3. can we leave BoA's title out of this

4. Why would they write BoA's name in an article like that?

5. On the day of their debut, I was curious about the reaction in China, so I searched for "A2O" on Weibo... and that was the very first thing that popped up. It even showed documents, like a promissory note, so it didn't look like just a malicious smear campaign timed to cause trouble. There was also talk about the agency going around trying to scrub the posts...

It’s not like the kid did anything wrong, but it’s essentially a case of sending the child to dance academy instead of paying the money owed to others... Honestly, I was impressed because that member is cute and really carries the performance, but having parents as a liability... I guess nothing is perfect

5. Are they really using this to hate on a baby?;; she's just working hard on promoting. I hope the parents pay back their debt fast

6. You'd think that Lee Sooman is the one who didn't pay their staff... Aijing's parents need to pay back ASAP

7. Let her promote and work hard and they'll eventually pay back

8. Did they already get canceled?

9. Stop with this BoA mediaplay

10. That article title;;

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