Karina
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Karina

카리나
  • Korean Name:카리나
  • Birthday:April 11, 2000
  • Nationality:South Korean
  • Zodiac Sign:Aries
  • Height:168 cm
  • MBTI Type:ENFP
  • Blood Type:B
  • Occupation:Singer, Dancer, Idol
  • Years Active:2020-Present
  • Agency:SM Entertainment
  • Education:High School Graduation Academic Qualification Examination
  • SNS:Instagram: @katarinabluu

Biography

KARINA is a South Korean singer, dancer, rapper, and performer. She is best known as the leader and main rapper, lead vocalist, and face (visual) of the South Korean girl group Aespa, formed by SM Entertainment. Since debuting, KARINA has played a central role in establishing aespa as one of the leading and most influential K-pop acts of her generation, recognized both domestically and internationally.

Early Life and Education

KARINA was born Yoo Ji-min (유지민) on April 11, 2000, in Gwangju, South Korea. She grew up with a passion for music, dance, and performance, actively participating in various school and regional talent activities during her early years. Information about her early schooling is limited publicly, but she was widely known to have trained as a dancer and performer before auditioning for SM Entertainment.

She later joined SM Entertainment as a trainee, where she underwent comprehensive idol training in vocals, dance, and performance for several years before her official debut.

Career

Pre-Debut and Trainee Years (Pre-2020)

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.

Debut with aespa (2020–present)

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.

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.

Relationships

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. 

Fun Facts

  1. Karina chose her stage name because her Catholic baptismal name is Katarina. Other potential names she considered included Uah, Jasmine, and Zion.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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).
  8. 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.
  9. She holds a black belt in taekwondo.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Her Japanese pronunciation is praised for being near-native. After Japan showcases, fans often post in awe of her fluency.
  13. 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.
  14. She was chosen by the members as the one who understands their lore (SYNK/SMCU) best.
  15. 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.
  16. She’s friends with Kep1er’s Kim Chaehyun, who was also an SM trainee. They joined in the same year and were private trainees.
  17. She loves her older sister and says they’ve never had a major fight.
  18. She once described herself as a “big eater” who can finish a whole pizza and balances it out with lots of movement.
  19. She has many allergies and always carries medication.