Fact-Checking Minji's Debut Age: International Age, Korean System, and Trainee Year's

Exploring the core elements of Fact-Checking Minji's Debut Age: International Age, Korean System, and Trainee Year's—read on to discover the main takeaways.

Q1: Was Minji a minor when NewJeans debuted?
Under international standards, Minji was 18 years old when NewJeans released "Attention" in July 2022, which is recognized as the legal age of adulthood in many western countries. In South Korea, civil majority is reached at age 19 on January 1 of that year, meaning she reached domestic legal adulthood at the start of 2023.

Q2: Why did some Korean television shows introduce Minji as 19 years old in 2022?
Until June 2023, South Korea relied on a traditional counting system where an individual is one year old at birth and gains a year every January 1. Because Minji was born in 2004, the domestic calculation read 19 during the calendar year of 2022.

Q3: How long did Minji train before debuting with NewJeans?
Minji trained for approximately four to four-and-a-half years. She passed her auditions during middle school around late 2017, completed foundational training at Source Music, and finished her program at ADOR ahead of the July 2022 debut.

Q4: Who is the youngest member of NewJeans compared to Minji?
The youngest member is Hyein (Lee Hyein), born on April 21, 2008. Hyein was 14 years and 3 months old at debut, making Minji nearly four years older than her.