aespaLeaderDancerRapperVocalist
Karina
카리나Yu Ji-min (유지민)
Leader, dancer and rapper of aespa — the Suwon-born SM trainee who also sings in Got the Beat and won a solo music show trophy with “Up”.
- Age
- 26
- Apr 11, 2000
- Height
- 168 cm
- 5′6″
- MBTI
- ENFP
- self-reported
- Debut
- 2020
- with aespa
At a glance
Profile
- Stage name
- Karina (카리나)
- Birth name
- Yu Ji-min (유지민)
- Position
- Leader, Dancer, Rapper, Vocalist
- Birthday
- April 11, 2000 (age 26)
- Zodiac sign
- Aries
- Chinese zodiac
- Dragon
- Height
- 168 cm (5′6″)
- Blood type
- B
- MBTI
- ENFP
- Nationality
- South Korean
- Birthplace
- Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- Representative emoji
- 💙
- Nicknames
- Karomi
11 facts
About Karina
Born Yu Ji-min in Suwon, Karina was scouted by SM Entertainment through social media and trained for four years before being revealed as the second member of aespa in October 2020. Besides leading the group she belongs to SM's supergroup Got the Beat, and her solo tour songs “Up” and “Good Stuff” — both of which she wrote — became chart entries in their own right.
- 01
Born in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, and grew up there with her parents and an older sister.
- 02
Discovered by an SM Entertainment scout through social media; she left Hansol High School in Bundang to train full time and later passed the GED equivalent.
- 03
She is Catholic, and her stage name comes from her baptismal name, Katarina.
- 04
Before debuting she appeared in Taemin's “Want” music video in February 2019 and performed the song with him on several music shows.
- 05
Revealed as the second member of aespa on October 27, 2020, and debuted as its leader three weeks later.
- 06
Joined SM's supergroup Got the Beat in 2022 alongside Winter, BoA, Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, Seulgi and Wendy.
- 07
Her solo track “Up” reached number two on the Circle Digital Chart and won her a Show! Music Core trophy on October 19, 2024 — a first for a member who has never released a solo record.
- 08
Registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association as a lyricist on “Up”, “Good Stuff” and aespa's remake of “Regret of the Times”.
- 09
Hosted the Seoul tourism series Travel Diary Soul: Seoul in 2021 and joined KBS's Synchro U in 2024, which brought her a Rookie Award at the 2024 KBS Entertainment Awards.
- 10
In July 2025 Nike named her its global brand spokesperson, the first Korean celebrity and first female K-pop idol in that role.
- 11
Names Camila Cabello and Girls' Generation as her role models and musical influences.
4 tracks
Solo & unit tracks
Songs on aespa releases that feature Karina on her own or in a unit.
- Single album
“Serenade”
Unit: Karina & Winter · Synk: Aexis Line 2026
- Single album
“Good Stuff”
Solo track by Karina · Synk: Aexis Line
- Single album
“Up”
Solo track by Karina · Synk: Parallel Line
- Digital single
“Regret of the Times”
2024 aespa remake version; Karina wrote additional lyrics · Regret of the Times
3 other members
