AESPA member Winter is recovering in hospital following surgery to repair a collapsed lung. This worrying news was reported by Korean entertainment website Tenasia. According to the report, Winter underwent surgery on April 11, and is currently “recovering at a university hospital”.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition “occurs when air leaks into the space between your lung and chest wall. This air pushes on the outside of your lung and makes it collapse. A pneumothorax can be a complete lung collapse or a collapse of only a portion of the lung.”
Following pneumothorax surgery, a patient may only need several days of hospitalization before being discharged. However, it may take between one to two months for them to fully recover.
No prior indication
Until the news broke, there was no indication that Winter was in poor health. AESPA last performed together on Japan’s Venue 101 program on April 6. The group is also preparing for a packed schedule in the near future. They will be releasing their next comeback in May, followed by a 14-city world tour from June to September.
At the time of writing, SM Entertainment has not commented on the report. There is also no indication that Winter will be pulling out of group activities.
This is not the first time that Winter has experienced a health scare. In 2022, she was unable to perform at a concert in Japan due to “poor physical condition”. And last June, fellow AESPA groupmate Giselle also took a break from public appearances for the same reason.
Fan reactions to the news
Fans were stunned by the unexpected report, and took to social media to wish Winter a speedy recovery. Among the comments sighted online:
- “Wow, that really scared me! Get well soon Minjeong!”
- “This requires plenty of rest afterwards, especially to avoid singing for a while or doing intense movements which also requires a lot of breathing. Hope all goes well.”
- “Oh man… and on Karina’s birthday. Winter was greeting her on Bubble and Instagram earlier in the day too, so I assume this happened out of nowhere? I’m glad the surgery went well. Please rest lots and take care of yourself Minjeong.”
- “I would rather she miss the comeback promotions and take on a health hiatus. This should not be taken lightly by her company.”
We hope that she gets well soon, and look forward to seeing her back onstage at 100%.
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