A2O LITE, the new girl group created by renowned K-pop producer Lee Soo-man (이수만), has recently become a focal point of discussion among Korean netizens. Online users have questioned whether the group's Korean members appear less prominent than their Japanese and Chinese counterparts in terms of visuals, dance skills, and even vocal tone. Some have speculated that the agency intentionally selected less conspicuous Korean members to make the foreign members stand out more. These comments have ignited a heated debate across online communities.
Recently, a post titled "A2O LITE's Korean Members Are the Most Awkward" appeared on a popular Korean online forum, garnering over 47,000 views. The original poster bluntly stated, "In terms of visuals, the Japanese members stand out more; in terms of dance, the Chinese members are more skilled; and even in vocal tone, the foreign members have an advantage." The user concluded that the Korean members' unique characteristics were relatively less apparent, drawing significant attention from other netizens.
Following the post's exposure, some netizens agreed with the original poster's viewpoint, even suspecting it was a deliberate arrangement by the agency. One comment read, "It feels like they intentionally picked Korean members with less distinct features to make the Japanese and Chinese members stand out more." Another netizen echoed, "That's true! Usually, in idol groups, the Korean members are the most eye-catching, but for Lee Soo-man, who particularly favors Chinese members, maybe this is how it is."
Others further questioned the selection criteria for the Korean members, stating, "It feels like the Korean members were just randomly picked, just to maintain the 'Korean idol' title." Another user commented, "OA and RADA are the prettiest; the others are just average." One netizen even pleaded, "Soo-man, please only use Koreans."
However, many netizens held differing opinions, arguing that the Korean members' visuals and charm were not inferior to others. Comments refuting the claims included: "But Vora and Ayune are clearly beautiful!" "VORA is the prettiest, right? I didn't even notice the Chinese members at all." "Among the Chinese members, I only see AIJING; the other two don't have much presence. Especially the one dancing behind AIJING at the beginning, I really can't watch. There's only one Japanese member, and she's already super talented, so she definitely had to be included. Among the Korean members, I think AYUNE is the prettiest."
Furthermore, some also raised questions about the selection of the Chinese members, asking, "Seriously, how were those Chinese members picked to be idols?" Some netizens directly countered the support for Vora, arguing, "Vora is actually the one with the least unique characteristics."
As various opinions emerged, the visuals, talent, and national composition of A2O LITE's members have become a contentious topic among netizens. However, the claim that the agency intentionally selected Korean members to highlight others remains merely a subjective speculation by some online users, without any concrete evidence to substantiate it.
