'Little BoA,' They Said... Apology Over Unpaid Wages Fails to Quell Fury: "Do They Have Money to Debut Their Daughter?"

Unpaid employee wages... About KRW 700 million subject to compulsory enforcement
Chinese internet users: "You have money to launch your daughter's career, but not to repay your debts?" ... 100 million clicks

Sheng Aijing (盛艾敬, 13), a Chinese member of rookie girl group A2O LITE who performs under the name Aiching, became embroiled in controversy in China shortly after her debut over her parents’ failure to pay employee wages.

A2O LITE Official YouTube Channel

The controversy erupted on October 12, the day of the group’s debut, after a Chinese internet user posted allegations. According to Chinese media reports, Beijing Suofeisi Education Technology Co., Ltd., run by Aijing’s mother, Ms. Zhang, had failed to pay employee wages since 2024. The company later agreed to repay the wages in installments through labor arbitration, but Ms. Zhang broke that agreement again just three months later. The amount subject to compulsory enforcement by a Chinese court was reportedly 3.45 million yuan, or approximately 690 million won.

After the allegations emerged, a person identifying herself as Sheng Aijing’s mother posted an apology on her Weibo account on October 14. She acknowledged the allegations, saying, “The sudden difficulties in operating my education business led to serious debt disputes.” She added, “Regardless of the circumstances, I am responsible for failing to pay the amounts owed on time,” and said, “I sincerely apologize to everyone who was harmed as a result.” She also pledged, “I will not avoid the issue and will take responsibility until everything is resolved.”

However, she said, “The parents are responsible for this case and must resolve it appropriately,” adding, “My daughter has nothing to do with the business I ran in the past or the related disputes.” A2O Entertainment, Sheng Aijing’s agency, had not issued an official statement as of October 18.

Rookie girl group A2O Lite performs at “WELCOME TO SOULITE From A2O SOUL A2O LITE,” A2O Entertainment’s global debut show, at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on the 12th. Aiching is on the left. Yonhap News.

Despite the apology, Chinese internet users have not calmed down. They say that the parents’ company had already begun falling behind on wage payments when Sheng Aijing won the youth division of the World of Dance (WOD) China competition, and that the parents had again failed to honor an installment payment agreement when she competed at the 2025 World Finals in the United States. Users have criticized the family, asking, “They have money to launch their daughter’s career, but not to repay their debts?”

On October 14, the hashtag “#Aiching’sMotherApologizes” ranked eighth on Weibo’s search list, with 97.1 million views. On October 17, the hashtag “#DidTheyMakeTheirDaughterAStarWithEmployees’Hard-EarnedMoney” topped the search rankings after surpassing 100 million views.

Born in Beijing in 2013, Sheng Aijing is nicknamed “Little BoA” by Korean fans because she resembles singer BoA. A2O LITE is a rookie girl group developed by former SM Entertainment executive producer Lee Soo-man. All nine members are minors, with an average age of 15, and three are Chinese. The group’s debut song, “NEON,” reached No. 1 on the Melon music chart in just 29 hours, setting a record for the fastest chart-topping debut song by a rookie group.

“NEON,” the song by nine-member girl group A2O LITE, is a dance track that combines a heavy bass line with a cappella vocals. Its lyrics are about moving forward rather than resting on current achievements. Yoo Young-jin, who has worked with Lee Soo-man since his time at SM Entertainment, co-wrote and co-composed the song with American producer Dem Jointz. The group performed for the first time at its debut show, “WELCOME TO SOULITE,” held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on October 12.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.