Recent groups from HYBE, SM, YG, and JYP share an eerily coincidence: (possibly) losing a member
On November 22, it was announced that Seunghan from SM’s latest boy group, RIIZE, will be suspending his activities indefinitely after a series of his private photos and videos were maliciously leaked online.
As a result, RIIZE will be active with one member less from its debut line-up, whilst Seunghan’s fate remains unclear. However, considering that the one leaking his photos threaten to do even more damage, many suspect that Seunghan will be taking a long break, and may even end up leaving his group.
Meanwhile, YG’s upcoming girl group, BABYMONSTER, will debut with one member less than its original line-up.
In particular, Ahyeon, who was set to debut alongside BABYMONSTER, was announced to be taking a break due to health concerns. So far, YG has claimed that Ahyeon hasn’t left her group and will so far only sit out on the debut, but netizens remain vigilant. Some pull up past cases of YG artists WINNER and TREASURE, which both start with members taking hiatuses for health, only to later leave their groups.
Next, back in December 2023, Jinni was also announced to leave her former group, NMIXX. JYP never provided a reason, instead only stating that it was a private matter.
Jinnie is now starting fresh with a new stage name, JINI, and has even released her first solo EP in October 2023. Meanwhile, NMIXX is now active with 6 members.
Finally, not long after LE SSERAFIM debut under Source Music, a subsidiary of HYBE, in 2022, former member Kim Garam was accused of school violence.
The accusations garnered massive attention, and while HYBE initially defended Garam, the agency eventually let her go from LE SSERAFIM’s lineup.
It can be seen that recent groups from 4 biggest entertainment agencies in Korea have all suffered from member loss within less than a year, or at least, have a high possibility of doing so.
Source: KCrush
