aespa's Karina Reveals Why She Dropped Out of School During Trainee Days

aespa member Karina has opened up about why she decided to drop out of school during her trainee days.

On the 6th, the YouTube channel 'Fairy Jae-hyung' featured a video titled 'Finally, the youngest guest Karina is here..!' where Karina, a member of the girl group aespa, joined Jae-hyung Jung for a heartfelt conversation.

Karina shared that she was initially pursuing a career as a flight attendant after setting aside her dream of becoming a singer. She said, "I was attending a language academy in my first year of high school when I was luckily cast."

However, she revealed that the SM employee who had contacted her left the company, leaving her in limbo. "I thought, 'This isn't my path,' but then another SM employee reached out for a casting call. I told my mom, 'See, I told you,' and I was so happy," she reminisced. "I went to the company building with my dad for a camera test. My dad seemed to have some quiet expectations," she recalled.



Reflecting on her trainee days, Karina said, "I kept my trainee status a secret, going to school, then taking the bus or subway to the company for practice, and returning to school in the morning." She added, "I was clumsy at dancing since it was my first time learning. Even though I had been in a dance club, I lacked the basics, so I decided to drop out to focus more on training at the company."

Jae-hyung Jung commented, "The curriculum seems better than many schools. I've heard that aspiring trainees want to join good companies because of such educational environments. They provide all the education you want."

Karina agreed, saying, "That's true. I naively thought I would join SM as a main vocalist. I used to be good at singing when I went to karaoke with friends." Her confession brought laughter.



She continued, "I didn't think I was particularly pretty or had outstanding physical attributes or dance skills. So I decided to focus on singing." Reflecting on the past, she said, "Ningning was already a trainee then. I couldn't even be evaluated alongside her because she was so talented. I was just watching in awe. I had to learn more before I could be evaluated. I couldn't practice with the other trainees because of the skill gap."

Eventually, Karina shifted her focus from singing to dancing, saying, "I wondered what I could do, so I lost 10kg in a month. Dieting was the easiest visual change I could make. I secretly practiced dancing and improved quickly without getting caught. The company noticed my efforts, and I was able to join classes and learn choreography with the other trainees."

Jae-hyung Jung expressed admiration, saying, "You really did it with determination," to which Karina replied, "Absolutely. I don't know what drove me, but I worked really hard."

Photo = Xportsnews DB, Fairy Jae-hyung Channel

This article was originally published in Korean on Xportsnews and was translated into English using AI.

by Oh Seunghyun