Controversy Surrounding Aijing A2O LITE’s Parent Company: Alleged Delays in Employee Pay
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ASTON OTONITY – Aijing (Sheng Aijing), a 13-year-old Chinese member of the girl group A2O LITE formed by Lee Soo-man, is once again the subject of discussion. On October 16, the topic of her parents resurfaced as a trending topic after their company was alleged to have failed to pay employee salaries.
On the evening of October 14, a netizen claiming to be Aijing’s mother issued an apology. She acknowledged that the company’s business conditions had deteriorated, leading to a debt dispute.
She also promised to take full responsibility and emphasized that her daughter was not involved in the matter. Although Aijing has no legal obligation to pay off her parents’ debts, some members of the public believe this issue cannot be completely separated from family ties.
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This is because Aijing’s journey leading up to her debut—from participating in dance competitions in the United States to modeling for advertisements, acting, and various training programs—involved financial support from her family.
Amid allegations of unpaid wages and debt enforcement proceedings totaling 3.45 million yuan—or approximately 9.3 billion rupiah—the claim that the matter has nothing to do with Aijing is seen as insufficient to address public concerns. However, this debate has also begun to escalate into cyberbullying directed at Aijing, who is only 13 years old.
This was deemed unfair because she is still a minor. Attention has now turned to the company that manages A2O LITE. The public is questioning whether the company conducted background checks on the members’ families before their debut.
As a group that relies on the concept of young idols, the company is seen as not only reaping the benefits of nurturing idols from an early age, but also ignoring the risks that may arise from their family backgrounds.
According to Segye Ilbo, on the very day of A2O LITE’s debut, a former employee of an education company based in Beijing, China, revealed that their wages had not been paid since 2024. That education company was where Aijing’s mother served as a legal representative and her father as an auditor.
“I used to run an education-based company, but the business declined rapidly, causing the company to face a severe financial crisis, which ultimately resulted in debt,” Aijing’s mother stated via Weibo on Wednesday (October 14, 2026).
According to the former employees, their salaries were paid only for the first three months through an installment plan. After that, the education company where Aijing’s mother worked stopped paying their salaries entirely.
Aijing’s mother apologized and acknowledged that the failure to pay salaries on time was her fault. However, she emphasized that this scandal had nothing to do with her daughter, Aijing.
“This incident is a matter for which the parents are responsible and must be resolved appropriately. My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with those past business dealings or disputes,” Aijing’s mother stated firmly.
It was reported that Aijing’s parents’ workplace is named in two lawsuits totaling 9.25 billion rupiah. However, it was not clarified whether that amount covers all the unpaid wages.
