aespa’s Winter. Image: Instagram/@imwinter
K-pop star Winter of girl group aespa recently underwent surgery for pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung, her talent agency SM Entertainment confirmed.
The talent company disclosed Winter’s condition through a statement released on Friday, April 12.
“Winter recently underwent surgery for pneumothorax and is currently recovering,” it said.
“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,” it added.
According to Mayo Clinic, pneumothorax “occurs when air leaks into the space between the lung and chest wall, and pushes on the outside of the lung and makes it collapse.”
Such a condition can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only a portion of the lung. It was not immediately known which case Winter had.
“Regarding her future schedule, we will consider Winter’s recovery status our top priority moving forward,” SM Entertainment said.
aespa, whose other members are Karina, Giselle and Ningning, is expected to release a comeback album in May.
The quartet, known for their songs “Next Level,” “Black Mamba” and “Savage,” among others, is also set to kick off their second world tour “Synk: Parallel Line” in June.