Insights into Karina: A Profile of aespa’s Talented Member (2024 Updated)

Karina’s real name is Yoo Ji Min (유지민), born on April 11, 2000. She is a member of the famous girl group aespa under SM Entertainment. Below is a detailed article about Karina’s profile – biography, career, and interesting facts about her.

Basic Profile of Karina

• 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

Career

Pre-debut

Karina, a former ulzzang, caught the eye of an SM casting director and joined SM Entertainment as a trainee in 2016. She made her first appearance in Taemin’s “Want” music video in February 2019, where she also showcased her skills as a dancer during promotional performances. Karina further demonstrated her talents alongside EXO’s Kai in ‘Beyond DRIVE – The all-new TUCSON’, a collaborative virtual display by Hyundai Motor Company and SM Entertainment on November 1, 2020.

aespa debut: 2020

SM Entertainment officially announced on October 27, 2020, that Karina would be the second member to debut in aespa.

GOT the Beat debut: 2021

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.

Dating News/ Rumors

Stray Kids 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.