The parents of Aicing, a Chinese member of the rookie girl group A2O LITE introduced by producer Lee Soo-man, have become embroiled in a wage-delay controversy.

A former employee who worked at Aicing's parents' company revealed that after asking for overdue wages to cover funeral expenses for their father, they received only 200,000 won.

On October 18, a post by a netizen claiming to have worked at a company run by the parents of A2O LITE member Aicing spread rapidly across Chinese social media.

The writer stated that their father was in critical condition at the time and eventually passed away.

They explained that since their older sister had quit her job to take care of their father, they were the sole breadwinner of the household.

They claimed that when they requested overdue wages from the company to hold their father's funeral, they were initially told there was not a single penny available.

After calling directly, the amount they were able to receive was 1,000 yuan, which is about 200,000 won in Korean currency.

The writer expressed that having worked diligently for several years, including overtime, receiving merely that amount while their father had passed away is something they will never forget for the rest of their life.

Previously, on October 13, Chinese media outlets reported allegations that employee wages had been withheld at an educational company based in Beijing operated by Aicing's parents.

It was reported that local corporate information platforms confirmed compulsory execution cases amounting to approximately 3.45 million yuan, or about 700 million won in Korean currency, under the related company and the parents' names.

As the controversy grew, Aicing's mother posted an apology on social media on October 14, acknowledging that debt disputes arose as the business conditions of the educational enterprise she previously ran deteriorated sharply.

She explained that she was discussing solutions with relevant parties and emphasized that this incident was a matter for the parents to take responsibility for and resolve, stating that her daughter Aicing had nothing to do with the debt dispute.

However, criticisms within China have continued even after the apology.

On October 17, a hashtag questioning whether the daughter's star activities were supported with the employees' money rose to the top of popular search terms on China's Weibo.

Some Chinese media outlets pointed out that the wage-delay issue persisted even around the time Aicing participated in dance competitions, and past overseas travel photos of Aicing were shared online, further escalating the controversy.

Aicing is 13 years old this year and is a key member of the rookie girl group A2O LITE, which debuted on October 13 with the single "Neon" and simultaneously topped domestic music charts.

(Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Jang Yu-jin | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News | Video Source: Mnet M2, A2O Entertainment)