UNIS maknae Lim Seowon drew divided opinions for THIS reason.
What did she do?
Fans Raise Brows for Having Minors in UNIS Such as Seowon Despite Debut Track 'Superwoman'
On April 20, the rookie idol became a sizzling topic on X. One netizen expressed they were perplexed after knowing that Seowon is only 12 years old, the youngest of the girl group UNIS.
This then garnered attention from K-pop fans, where divided opinions poured in regarding age over skills in the music scene.

OP was baffled by the group members' ages, having Hyeonju as the oldest (22 years old) and Seowon as the youngest at 13 years old.
This became a big deal to fans, given that the concept of the group based on their title track is "Superwoman." Netizens pointed out that neither of them was even old enough to be called a "woman."
In fact, only Hyeonju is above 18 years old while the rest were all minors. What surprised people was Seowon being in the group, who just also finished her elementary school in March.
THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THE MAKNAE IS 12??? pic.twitter.com/Qypx6S61cu
— ً ً (@thornopolis) April 20, 2024
“super woman” and only one member is old enough to be a woman
— mari (@batcock99) April 20, 2024
only one of them is over 18 😭
— Liz 🇵🇸🏹 (@zyozone97) April 21, 2024
i will literally never like the fact these companies are debuting barely teenagers and then dropping songs or concepts about being women. like THAT IS A CHILD https://t.co/sXE3MqBD4X
— taylor (@tiffanyyeri) April 21, 2024
As of the writing, the post has over 555k views and over 500 quotes, containing people's divided opinions about this.
In the replies, numerous people agreed with the OP's concern, stating that Lim Seowon is "too young" to debut in the harsh stage of the K-pop industry.
There are also commenters who called out adults supporting such a group with minors, then questioned the idol's parents & label for debuting her at this age.
UNIS Fans Defend Seowon, Highlight Her Balanced Life as Idol, Teenager, Student
and yet she sings and performs better than most of y’all’s idols and certainly better than most of y’all chronically online jobless mfs who likes to spread hate and toxicity. she’s living her dream while y’all are just pixels in the internet so https://t.co/gglD9XuJwb
— naya 🎧🌸 (@sunniesynh) April 21, 2024
mfs cant criticize her talent so they try to downplay her using the age card where in fact she outsing most of yall faves and debuted earlier than everyone. she was supervised and always dreamed to be an entertainer since very young. leave her alone! https://t.co/kKo0IwvyHo
— cali•🎀 is CURIOUS 🧐 (@gehleeology) April 21, 2024
Idk but let's not act as if they were forced to do this.
— ◌♡ curious ᧁׁꫀׁׅܻ݊ᥣׁׅ֪ ♡◌ (@ajeonis) April 21, 2024
This is her dream- she loves doing it while being able to do stuff that kids of her age do. Who are we to stop her from doing what she wants?
As long as she's properly guided & supported, then I believe all is good https://t.co/2tOnpgK93H
When the post reached UNIS fandom, the group's supporters defended Lim Seowon from the backlash and rather highlighted the hard work that she exerted just to be in her position.
Fans pointed out that K-pop isn't for adults only and to be enjoyed by kids as well, then complaining that if people were concerned about the harsh treatment of idols, then maybe the system is the problem, not the debut age.
After all, Lim Seowon wasn't forced to debut, but rather, she has been dreaming of it for a long time.
-Goes to school
— Niiikaru (@Foreverwithkaru) April 21, 2024
-Said she likes
going to school
-Perfect test scores
in all subjects
-Diligence award
-Writes novel
-Can play guitar, ukulele, piano
-Likes boxing
-Wants to learn how to compose
-Can sing, dance, rap
SHE'S MORE TALENTED & DEDICATED THAN SOME ADULT IDOLS. https://t.co/JgDFXCE6sZ pic.twitter.com/WWaSkdcu3M
Hot take: not being an adult is fine to debut.. Its a proffession about singing, dancing and entertaining and any other shit doesnt count..
— Rowdy | EverAfter (@RowdyRocker27) April 21, 2024
If we cant make an environment where kids are protected, then we should look ourselves in the mirror and find out whos the problem. https://t.co/nwi707G9Os
Some people are against kids debuting because they dont want them to be exposed to the harsh world of kpop yet theyre the ones starting the hate 😭
— Kitty 🐱| Brewing Love kdrama soon! 🍻 (@fangurrl69) April 21, 2024
Unis are talented af. F&F made their dreams come true and treats them like princesses so why dont we just support them instead?? https://t.co/I6KREXbibd
Prior to becoming an idol, Seowon initially pursued her singing career as a trot singer and later on as a soloist. She's a senior to a lot of rookie fifth-gen idols and in the period, she's been loved and cared for by a lot of her supporters.
As a result, fans are pleading not to use her age against her but rather, K-pop fans themselves should create an industry that is safe and healthy even for kids.
READ MORE: THIS 12-Year-Old Trainee Is Poised to Become the Youngest K-pop Idol to Debut in 2024
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz