On July 6, two members Ahyeon and Asa of Kpop girl group Baby Monster appeared as guests on SBS's "Running Man".
In this episode, MC Yoo Jae Suk asked Asa's real name and how long she lived in Korea.
Asa replied: My real name is Enami Asa, born in 2006. I have lived in Korea for 6 years.
Actor Choi Daniel then asked Asa: Have you studied primary, secondary and high school in Korea?. The female singer replied: "I just graduated from kindergarten. I had to travel a lot because I started as an exchange student while in elementary school.
Asa's confession surprised the artists. Haha said, This is the first time Ive heard the word kindergarten graduation.
Asa is one of two members (along with Ruka) of Japanese nationality in Baby Monster - a multinational group of 7 members under YG Entertainment (including Ahyeon, Rami, Rora, Chiquita, Pharita, Asa, Ruka), officially launched in April 2024.


Asa started dreaming of becoming a singer in grade 2 and attended a dance academy. She passed the YG Japan audition in 2018, officially starting her trainee life at YG Entertainment in Korea.
In the final round of the Baby Monster lineup, although Asa was initially eliminated along with Rora, producer Yang Hyun Suk later listened to fans' opinions and decided to include both in the debut lineup.
Asa is considered a talented idol with an impressive rap style. In many Baby Monster songs, typically Forever, Asa is praised for his fast-paced rap segment as the highlight in the song.
In addition, Asa is also a member with an impressive fashion style, often receiving compliments every time Baby Monster appears at the airport to carry out the group's schedule.
However, Asa's revelation that she had just finished kindergarten is a controversial topic.
In the Kpop industry, there are many idols who were chosen as trainees early, but still continue to study at talent schools or maintain homeschooling to get a high school diploma, while still doing internships at Kpop companies.
Therefore, a new idol who " studied all the kindergarten" like Asa shocked the public. Many opinions said that the female idol's family was "too risky" to let their children be trainees from a young age and did not care about their education level.
The problem of Kpop groups having members debuting at a very young age has caused great controversy. In the Baby Monster group, the youngest Chiquita (Thailand nationality) debuted at the age of 14. Hyein of NewJeans also performed with the group at the age of 14.
YG Entertainment has not commented on Asa's controversial sharing. There are currently many comments criticizing the company for saying that YG does not let its trainees continue to study culture like other companies.