aespa Karina Profile: The Architect of a New K-Pop Reality (2025 Updated)

Karina is the leader of the famous girl group aespa under SM Entertainment. On stage, she is a formidable presence, an AI-like warrior with “rocket puncher” abilities, burning with what PAPER magazine describes as an “Ariean intensity” that is both fierce and masterfully aloof. Yet, away from the glare of the spotlight, a different figure emerges: Yu Ji-min, a soft-spoken and attentive leader, known for her warmth and care towards her fellow members.

She is, as one publication aptly put it, a “luminous celestial body that shines brightly but also appears cold and distant,” a paradox that defines her public image and encapsulates the complex nature of modern stardom.

Profile

Birth Name: Yoo Ji-min (유지민)

Stage Name: Karina (카리나)

Position: Leader, Main Dancer, Lead Rapper, Sub Vocalist, Face Of The Group

Birthday: April 11, 2000

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Height: 167 cm (5’6″)

Weight: 45 kg (99 lbs)

Blood Type: B

Symbol: Heart ❤

Spirit Animal: Whale

Number: 24

Fun Facts

Karina chose her stage name because her Catholic baptismal name is Katarina. Other potential names she considered included Uah, Jasmine, and Zion.
As a Catholic, she’s often seen wearing a rosary ring, which led to a surge in people buying similar rings. A seller even posted about Karina on their social media. She’s also been seen making the sign of the cross and praying before going on stage.
In middle school, she was part of the Student Morality Committee and would stand by the school gate on duty days. She was class president at least once in elementary, middle, and high school and also served as Cub Scout leader.
Her father is a former Marine. Karina gained attention for her salute during aespa’s “aenergy” choreography. Both she and Winter, who also comes from a military family, performed perfect salutes. Karina’s dad gave her feedback on her salute form.
She once aspired to be a flight attendant, but gave up due to her fear of flying. She even took Chinese lessons to prepare for the career.
She began learning Chinese in kindergarten and continued through lessons later on. Although she claims she’s forgotten much since debut, she still communicates fluently with Chinese fans and writes Chinese messages in signed albums.
As a child, she tried many activities like ballet, swimming, futsal, taekwondo, basketball, and learned instruments like piano, janggu (Korean drum), flute, harmonica, and danso (Korean bamboo flute).
She’s best at swimming and even learned diving for an SMCU video shoot. She mastered freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, though she jokes that doggy paddle is her specialty.
She holds a black belt in taekwondo.
Karina is good at piano and guitar, and once won an award for piano. She’s interested in producing, studies songwriting, and plans to try composing. Her solo track “UP” marked her debut as a sole lyricist, earning praise for its heartfelt lyrics.

She has played games like Crazy Arcade, LaTale, and R2Beat. Her Crazy Arcade ID was “Mole Leader.” As of 2020, her favorite mobile game was PUBG.
As of 2022, she completed the final stage of Dream Garden, reaching the game’s max level.
At her audition, the judge asked if she had makeup on. When she said she was only wearing sunscreen, they asked if she could wash her face for a proper check.
Her Japanese pronunciation is praised for being near-native. After Japan showcases, fans often post in awe of her fluency.
She has a long tailbone, making it uncomfortable to sit on the floor for long periods. During workouts requiring a V-sit pose, she couldn’t stabilize and kept spinning.
She says her strengths are caring for others and being quick-witted; her weaknesses are being timid and forgetful. However, fans note her great memory from how she recalls fans and conversations at fan sign events.
She was chosen by the members as the one who understands their lore (SYNK/SMCU) best.
All members chose Karina as the one they’d bring to a deserted island.
Though she now has a solo room, she used to room with Giselle and later Ningning.
Her ASMR live streams are popular among ASMR enthusiasts.
She’s close with ITZY, especially Yeji and Ryujin. ITZY was the first group she became friends with post-debut. She’s often seen on Ryujin’s livestreams, has left video messages for ITZY, and attended their concert. Ryujin and TWICE’s Jihyo also attended aespa’s concert later on.

She’s friends with Kep1er’s Kim Chaehyun, who was also an SM trainee. They joined in the same year and were private trainees.
She loves her older sister and says they’ve never had a major fight.
She’s the only extrovert (E) in aespa’s MBTI lineup.
She once described herself as a “big eater” who can finish a whole pizza and balances it out with lots of movement.
She has many allergies and always carries medication.
On March 27, 2025, she donated ₩100 million to wildfire recovery efforts.

Career

Pre-debut

Before she was Karina of aespa, Yu Ji-min was already a minor celebrity in her own right. She was a well-known ulzzang, a Korean term for individuals who gain internet fame for their striking looks. Her active presence on social media platforms, particularly Instagram, made her a popular figure online, showcasing a modern path to stardom that bypasses traditional channels.

Karina officially became an SM trainee in 2016, embarking on a rigorous four-year training period. Even before her official debut, the agency strategically built anticipation around her. In February 2019, she was featured prominently in the music video for “Want,” a solo release from SHINee’s Taemin, one of the industry’s most respected performers. She also served as his backup dancer for the song’s live promotions. In 2020, her profile was elevated further when she starred alongside EXO’s Kai, another top-tier idol, in a virtual showcase for Hyundai.

aespa: Debut and Rise to Prominence

On October 27, 2020, SM Entertainment officially revealed Karina as the second member of its new girl group, aespa. The group made their highly anticipated debut on November 17, 2020, with the digital single “Black Mamba”. The debut was an immediate and resounding success, with the music video shattering the record for the most views for a K-pop debut in its first 24 hours.

Within aespa, Karina holds a multitude of key roles: leader, main dancer, lead rapper, sub-vocalist, visual, and center. This “all-rounder” status has solidified her reputation as the group’s undisputed “ace,” a performer capable of excelling in every aspect of performance.

aespa’s career has been marked by a series of groundbreaking hits and significant achievements:

“Next Level” (2021): This single became a viral sensation in South Korea, its unique structure and addictive choreography dominating social media. It peaked at number two on the Gaon Digital Chart, becoming the group’s first top-five hit domestically.
Savage EP (2021): Their first mini-album was met with both critical and commercial acclaim, debuting at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 chart and signaling their growing international appeal.
Coachella (2022): In a major milestone, aespa performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, becoming only the third K-pop girl group to do so and solidifying their presence on the global stage.
EPs and First Studio Album: The group continued their commercial success with the EPs My World (2023), which sold over 2.1 million copies, and Drama (2023). In 2024, they released their first full-length studio album,
Armageddon, further cementing their status as leaders of K-pop’s fourth generation.
World Tours: The group has embarked on multiple large-scale world tours, including “Synk: Hyper Line” (2023) and “Synk: Parallel Line” (2024–2025), playing to sold-out crowds in arenas across Asia, North America, and Europe, including a landmark concert at the Tokyo Dome.

GOT the beat: The Supergroup Experience

On December 27th, Karina debuted as part of the first unit, GOT the Beat, within the female project group, Girls On Top, alongside Winter, BoA, Taeyeon, Hyoyeon of Girls’ Generation, and Wendy and Seulgi of Red Velvet. Their debut digital single “Step Back” was unveiled during the SMTOWN Live 2022: SMCU Express@Kwangya online event on January 1, 2022, followed by its official release on January 3, 2022.

Solo Ventures

While her primary focus remains on group activities, Karina has begun to explore solo ventures. Her most notable solo music release to date is the song “Up,” from aespa’s 2024 digital single album, Synk: Parallel Line. The track was a commercial success, climbing to number two on the Circle Digital Chart and earning Karina her first-ever solo music show win on MBC’s Show! Music Core.

Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Karina was born Yu Ji-min (유지민) on April 11, 2000, in Ji-dong, a district of Suwon in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. She is the younger of two daughters, with an older sister born in 1995. Her English name is Katarina, a name she also holds as her Catholic baptismal name, which would later serve as the direct inspiration for her stage name, Karina.

Her early education took place at Seongnam Shingi Elementary School and Jeongja Middle School. Initially, her academic interests leaned towards the sciences, a path she considered majoring in before her artistic ambitions took hold.

Relationships

STRAY KIDS’s Hyunjin

There was a post on a Korean online forum that drew attention by suggesting that Karina and Hyunjin were dating. In a video of Stray Kids, Hyunjin held up his phone and it automatically lit up the screen. His lock screen image was a Selca photo of Karina.

However, due to the blurry image, netizens could only speculate based on the Selca photos that Karina had posted. From the color to the angle of her face, even the trace of the Beanie hat she was wearing matched the angle of the lock screen image on Hyunjin’s phone. Additionally, many Knetizens continued to add more evidence about the relationship between the two.

Both Hyunjin and Karina had a green heart icon next to their usernames on the Bubble app. Furthermore, they both suggested a song “Your Dog Loves You” to their fans. Although this was just a rumor, this post also caught attention due to the fame of both individuals. Some people also believed that this rumor was baseless and since both are relatively young in their careers, it would be difficult for them to date. After this rumor surfaced, Hyunjin also denied it with Aespa’s Karina. This speculative post on the online forum has also been removed.

NCT’s Jungwoo

Karina was once caught in dating rumor with NCT Jungwoo. Accordingly, Korean netizens listed 6 situations where Karina and Jungwoo are said to be “too obvious” about their relationship:

Karina and Jungwoo mentioned two identical acronyms twice, including 별다줄 [Byul-Da-Juj] (별 걸 다 줄인다 People keep shortening/shortening things) and 오저치고 [Oh-Jeo-Chi-Go] (오늘 저녁(에) 치킨 고 -> Let’s eat fried chicken tonight).
Both uploading images of cloudy sky on Bubble at the same time
Having the same recommended playlist
Using icon >_0
Using the same trending word in an uncomfortable way
The pizza incident

ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin

On December 18th, 2023, Sung Hanbin posted a photo of peeled tangerines arranged horizontally on Bubble, asking fans, “Can I get married?” Two days later, Karina shared similar tangerine photos, sparking speculation. Sung Hanbin, born in 2001, prefers older individuals, while Karina, born in 2000, likes younger ones. Sung Hanbin’s recent song coincidentally matches Karina’s Instagram username, “katarinabluu.” Additionally, Sung Hanbin was seen wearing a ring associated with Karina, and they both took part in the same challenge.

Actor Lee Jae-wook

On February 2024, Dispatch reported that Karina was dating Lee Jae Wook. Accordingly, the two first met at Prada event in Milan and fell in love with each other. An official from Lee Jae Wook’s agency, C-JeS, then told Newsen, “The two are now getting to know each other, and since the actor is in the middle of filming and it is his private life, we ask you to treat him with warm eyes and respect.” SM Entertainment also confirmed the relationship in a later report.

Notably, the two perfectly matches each other ideal type. Lee Jae Wook once revealed his ideal type, “I have quite severe mood swings. I need someone who can hold me well and lead me in a good direction, a very clear, bright and positive woman.” Meanwhile, Karina shared that she liked “a polite man with black hair, big hands and feet, over 180cm tall, with a pretty smile.” And Lee Jae-wook is considered the black-haired actor of truth. His height is 187cm as well.

Net Worth

While exact figures are proprietary, industry estimates place Karina’s net worth at approximately $1 million to $1.5 million USD as of early to mid-2024. This figure, while substantial, is reflective of her status as a member of a relatively young but immensely successful group.

Controversies and Incidents

Pre-Debut Malicious Rumors

Just before aespa’s debut in 2020, controversy arose when a netizen claiming to be an acquaintance of SM trainee Yu Jimin (Karina’s real name) shared alleged text messages exchanged with her on an online community site. The messages contained remarks about senior artists and the company.

In response, SM Entertainment stated that “malicious rumors about Yu Jimin are being recklessly spread,” and emphasized that the post was fabricated and false. Despite this, the company said the rumors continued to be amplified and reproduced. They further announced, “We will take civil and criminal legal action under a zero-tolerance policy against defamation of character, malicious rumor-spreading, and other illegal acts online.” SM also revealed that in October, they had filed a complaint with the Gangnam Police Station against those who posted malicious content about Yu Jimin.

In addition, Karina’s former middle and high school classmates posted messages denying the rumors surrounding her.

My Hero Academia Recommendation (June 2023)

In a seemingly innocuous act of sharing her interests, Karina recommended the popular anime series My Hero Academia to fans on the private messaging platform Bubble. The recommendation ignited immediate backlash from Chinese and some Korean fans due to a historical controversy associated with the series. In the original manga, a villainous doctor who performs human experiments was named “Maruta Shiga”. “Maruta” (meaning “log”) was a dehumanizing code name used by the Imperial Japanese Army’s infamous Unit 731 for its human test subjects—mostly Chinese and Korean prisoners of war—during World War II.

Due to this, the anime is officially banned in China. Upon learning of the controversy, Karina promptly issued an apology, stating that she was unaware of the issue as the character’s name had been changed in the version she watched. She expressed regret for not being more careful and promised to be more mindful in the future.

“Political Jacket” Incident (May 2025)

Karina faced another wave of criticism after posting a photo of herself wearing a jacket that featured the number “2” in red. In the highly sensitive political climate of South Korea, some netizens interpreted this as a sign of support for the conservative People Power Party, which uses the color red and was assigned the number two in an upcoming election.

The controversy escalated when a national news broadcast used her photo as an example of what one could wear when voting, cementing the association in the public’s mind. Karina quickly deleted the post, and SM Entertainment issued an official apology, clarifying that there was no political intention behind the outfit choice.