K-Pop Band aespa's Winter Underwent Surgery For Pneumothorax, SM Entertainment Confirms

SM Entertainment has released an official statement, addressing recent media revelations regarding aespa’s member Winter’s surgery for pneumothorax, commonly known as collapsed lung.

On April 12, the agency officially confirmed all the reports stating that Winter had indeed undergone surgery for pneumothorax. “Winter recently underwent surgery for pneumothorax and is currently recovering,” stated the agency, adding, “As [pneumothorax] is a condition prone to recurrence, [the surgery] was carried out as a preventive measure in accordance with her doctor’s opinion, and the decision was made after plenty of discussion.”

In case you didn’t know, pneumothorax is “when air gets inside your chest cavity and creates pressure against your lung, causing it to collapse partially or fully,” per Cleveland Clinic.

The agency also confirmed that she will be temporarily halting her group activities following the recent lung surgery as she would be requiring time to regain her strength and recover. SM Entertainment further remarked, “Regarding her future schedule, we will consider Winter’s recovery status our top priority moving forward.”

The news emerges as the K-Pop quartet prepares for a comeback with an upcoming release next month.

Earlier, it was disclosed that Winter, whose real name is Kim Min-jeong, underwent surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax at a private university hospital on April 11, with the procedure successfully completed on the same day itself. It is anticipated that Winter will use the entirety of April to focus on recovering whilst simultaneously preparing for aespa’s comeback, slated for sometime in May.

Meanwhile, aespa, who debuted in 2020, released a track earlier this month titled ‘Die Trying.’ The group is gearing up for their comeback in May, which will be followed by their second world tour, ‘Synk: Parallel Line,’ kicking off in Seoul on June 29-30.