“Universe Ticket” Debuts The Youngest Female K-Pop Idol In 14 Years

The survival show Universe Ticket began to air in 2023, intending to establish an eight-membered girl group. On January 17, the show aired its finale, revealing a diverse lineup of the newly-formed group called Unis.

The final line up of Unis | @_universeticket/Twitter

The group has gotten quite some attention over its lineup, including the fact that it is the first K-Pop group with a Filipina line and that it has debuted the youngest female idol in 14 years!

Young teens debuting as idols has been much debated in recent times, but it is not a new phenomenon in the industry. The legendary first-generation soloist BoA was known for the longest time as the youngest K-Pop idol to ever debut at the age of 13.

BoA held that record for 10 years since her debut in 2000 until it was broken by an insanely young girl group named G.Story. The four-member lineup consisted of Chaeyoung, Yuri, Hyein, and Yunjeong. The group debuted in 2010, when Chaeyoung and Yuri were 10 years old, and Hyein and Yunjeong were 9. Though the group lasted only 2 years, they set a wild new benchmark for the youngest K-Pop debut.

(From L to R) Chaeyoung, Yuri, Hyein, and Yunjeong | Antzstar Company

Since then, the industry has seen many 13-year-olds and up debut successfully, but none as young as Unis’s maknae, Seowon.

Lim Seowon | SBS

Born in 2011, she just debuted at 12 years old, breaking BoA’s record and becoming the youngest idol to debut in the last 14 years!

Though Unis marks Seowon’s first embarkment in the world of K-Pop, she is already a well-known face in the entertainment industry. She is a well-loved trot singer and a musical actress, signed under Lean Branding. Before Universe Ticket, the public was already familiar with her face and talents through multiple survival shows like Miss Trot 2 and Music Love.

Seowon on “Miss Trot 2” | TV Chosun

Seowon has also made her debut as a soloist before debuting in Unis. Her debut digital single, “Shoulder Dance,” was released on April 24, 2021, when the singer was only 9 years old!

While it is impressive that Seowon has achieved so much despite her young age, the trend of debuting minors as K-Pop idols is always met with mixed reactions and concerns from critics. You can read more about it here.