Aespa was selected as one of the "30 Under 30 Asia" by Forbes of the US.

Aespa was recently listed as the only K-pop artist in the "30 Under 30 Asia" announced by Forbes, a leading US economic magazine, through its official website, confirming their global influence once again.

Forbes annually selects and announces leaders under the age of 30 in 10 fields including arts, marketing, technology, finance, distribution, and healthcare for 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the meantime, Aespa was listed in the entertainment & sports category.

In addition, Forbes said about Aespa, "Making their debut in 2020 with the single "Black Mamba", the quartet is already one of the hottest girl groups in K-pop. Aespa's most popular song is "Next Level", released in May 2021, with more than 215 million views on YouTube".

"The group won Artist of the Year at the 2022 Golden Disc Awards, Best New Female Artist at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards and Best Korean Act at the 2021 MTV Europe Music Awards. Aespa also became brand ambassador for Givenchy last year", they said, drawing attention.

Previously, Aespa was selected as the first K-pop girl group in TIME magazine's "2022 Next Generation Leaders", proving its hot topic and popularity.

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]