Wonder Girls' new member makes debut in China

Singer Hae Lim, who has replaced Mimi of the Wonder Girls, made her first public appearance as a member of Korean pop quintet over the weekend.

An official at their agency JYP Entertainment (JYPE) explained Saturday that Hae Lim joined the other members on stage during a party in China, where the K-pop group is promoting a product.

The official also added that the girl band, who flew into Seoul on Saturday, will be "staying in the country for a while and go back to the U.S. soon".

Lim, 17, was a JYP trainee for three years and is said to speak four languages -- Korean, English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

She had originally been preparing to debut as a member of the Chinese version of the Wonder Girls before replacing Mimi who announced her leave from the group to concentrate on her studies.

Wonder Girls, who debuted in 2007, is one of the most successful idol groups in the country who has made an impressive crossover to the United States.

In October 2009, the group's U.S. debut single "Nobody" entered the Billboard Hot100 at No. 76, making them the first Korean artists to be placed on the chart in its 115-year history.

The group recently announced that they will be pushing back the release of their U.S. debut album, which was originally due out this month.

Reporter : Park Kun-ouc kun1112@asiae.co.kr
Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr