“Just disband already”, Netizens show shocking reaction to this Kpop girl group, who just lost a member 

A female Kpop idol recently left their group, but netizens are already calling for disbandment? 

On July 28th, Pledis Entertainment suddenly announced the departure of Jang Gyuri from her former group “fromis_9”, at the same time adding that the group will be reorganized into an 8-member lineup starting from August 9th. The news was shocking to most Kpop fans, seeing that  Jang Gyuri was among the most famous fromis_9 members, having participated in survival shows “Produce 48” and “Idol School”, as well as the hit K-drama “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay”.

However, many netizens expressed that they saw this coming from miles away, as Jang Gyuri has always been more suited to be an actress rather than an idol. Some even went as far as to say this is her best decision, even calling for the disbandment “fromis_9” and bringing up the group’s past controversies.

fromis_9’s name is forever stuck with the key word “cheating”

fromis_9 actually debuted from the Mnet survival show “Idol School”, and started to gain public attention after a series of controversies regarding vote manipulation. In a court session, the head producer of “Idol School” admitted to manipulating the show’s vote, and that the debut lineup of fromis_9 was arranged beforehand, despite 3 other girls gaining enough votes to be in the lineup. 

Out of these 3 competitors that had their seats “stolen”, Lee Haein gained the highest number of votes, only to be robbed off her chance to debut, which angered many Kpop fans.

In addition, fromis_9 was recently accused of score manipulation after winning against TWICE Nayeon on the July 7th broadcast of Mnet weekly music show “M! Countdown”. Here, many netizens pointed out that while fromis_9’s title song was ranked 14 on the Gaon chart (now Circle chart), it was completely missing on other charts, as opposed to Nayeon. Yet, the group still scored a perfect 5000 in digital scores, raising the suspicions of netizens. 

“Careless” with their words

Other than cheating controversies, the Korean public also isn’t fond of fromis_9 due to certain occasions where members were not careful about their words. In particular, while appearing on the show TMI News, Jang Gyuri and Lee Chaeyoung clapped when HYBE Labels, the parent company of Pledis Entertainment, was mentioned. 

The female idols then said, “It’s our company! Isn’t our company admirable”, and later called Big Hit Music CEO Bang Sihyuk “our president”.

Seeing this, various netizens pointed out that while fromis_9’s current company, Pledis Entertainment, is a subsidiary of HYBE Labels, they operate separately from the corporation. In addition, the president of Pledis is Han Sungsoo, so Jang Gyuri and Lee Chaeyoung shouldn’t claim Bang Sihyuk as their president, netizens said. 

In addition, in a previous livestream with fans, the group’s leader Saerom, who was unaware that the camera had already started rolling, made a long sigh and said: “I’m bored to death, let’s wrap this up quickly and go home.”

Soon enough, criticisms poured in for the leader, who was said to be “ungrateful towards fans” and “two-faced” for appearing sweet on the camera and opposite off the stage. Some fans also expressed their disappointment that Saerom was “bored” to communicate with them. 

Below are some comments from netizens about Jang Gyuri’s departure from fromis_9: 

• I kind of expected this not gonna lie. She’s better suited to be an actress
• Good for her, now Jang Gyuri is no longer a cheating idol
• If this is any other group, I’d be said, but fromis_9 should just disband already
• Jang Gyuri is basically the only hot member of fromis_9 but she left. Also, shouldn’t they be “fromis_8” now??
• Finally. Best wishes for Jang Gyuri and hope her career would soar. 
• Jang Gyuri is kind, pretty, and has a good background. She literally gains nothing from being in the group, better be an actress
• Leaving such a controversial group is no regret at all. I have honestly never seen any girl group with that many issues. 
• She must have thought that fromis_9 is flopping hard…