LE SSERAFIM Profile: a New “Fearless” Powerhouse of K-pop (2024 Updated)

Having earned outstanding achievements, HYPE’s 4th generation girl group LE SSERAFIM is proving themselves as a powerhouse.

tegami2 weeks agoLast Updated: April 13, 2024

3 minutes read

LE SSERAFIM (르세라핌) originally debuted with a 6-member line-up on May 2, 2022, with the EP “Fearless”. However, former member Kim Garam left the group on July 20, 2022, after facing accusations of school violence.

The group was formed under the HYBE subsidiary Source Music, and has garnered outstanding achievement since debut.

Biography of LE SSERAFIM

Group name: LE SSERAFIM
Debut date: 02/05/2022
Company: Source Music
Total member: 5 (current), 6 (former)
Members: Sakura, Chaewon, Yunjin, Kazuha, Eunchae (current), Garam (former)
Fandom name: FEARNOT

LE SSERAFIM’s Name and Fandom

The group’s name “LE SSERAFIM” is an anagram of the phrase “I’m Fearless”. It also references “seraphim” – a six-winged heavenly creature, relating to the group’s original 6-member line-up.

Meanwhile, as announced on August 8, 2022, the official fandom of LE SSERAFIM is FEARNOT. “FEARNOT,” which is a homonym of “blooming” in Korean, carries a meaning that LE SSERAFIM marching forward fearlessly and fans who do “not fear” loving and supporting LE SSERAFIM come together to “bloom” every new moment.

Website: le-sserafim.com / Japan Website: le-sserafim.jp
Instagram: le_sserafim
YouTube: LE SSERAFIM
Twitter: IM_LESSERAFIM / Staff Twitter: @le_sserafim / Japan Twitter: @le_sserafim_jp
TikTok: @le_sserafim
SoundCloud: le_sserafim_official
Facebook: LE SSERAFIM

LE SSERAFIM Achievements

LE SSERAFIM has become successful right after debut despite having to face heavy competitors like NewJeans and IVE. So far, the group has won awards at various major domestic ceremonies, including Gold Disc Awards (1 Rookie, 3 Bonsangs), MAMA Awards, MelOn Music Awards, and Seoul Music Awards, among others.

The girl group also consistently won at Korean weekly music shows, and has received multiple certifications from Korea’s Circle Chart, and Japan’s RIAJ chart for their excellent digital and physical sales.

Controversies

Starbucks usage: In early 2024, LE SSERAFIM came under fire for allegedly promoting beverage chain Starbucks. In particular, Starbucks is currently facing a boycott movement due to the brand preventing its workers from showing support for Palestine, which is undergoing a humanitarian crisis. Additionally, Huh Yunjin specifically faced criticism due to being spotted drinking Starbucks again in March.

Cheating allegations: Prior to debuting with LE SSERAFIM, member Chaewon debuted with the project girl group IZ*ONE and gained attention – after making it to the Top 12 of the survival show “Produce 48”. However, later investigations revealed that this Top 12 was false, as several people were pushed out of the debut line-up and replaced with others through vote manipulation. Among those, Chaewon was suspected to have unfairly debuted and “stole” the chance from a fellow competitor, leading to criticism despite no confirmation.

Live encore: Recently, while promoting their latest title, “Easy”, LE SSERAFIM won music show “M!Countdown” and sang a live encore for the song. However, the encore soon came under fire as netizens criticized the members’ live vocal, even going so far as to call the group “idols that can’t sing”.

Eunchae’s controversial remarks: In March 2024, member Eunchae came under scrutiny due to her past remarks. In particular, she first used Korean grammar wrongly despite being born and raised in Korea, prompting questions about her academic level. Additionally, Eunchae was accused of showing a sarcastic attitude when discussing fans’ experiences at school, and faced allegations of having failed the entrance exam to Hanlim Arts School twice.

Former member Garam’s school bullying: When LE SSERAFIM was promoting their debut song, former members Garam faced relentless rumors of school bullying. As criticisms intensifies and the alleged “victim” even releasing documents of Garam facing 5th level punishment by the School Violence Countermeasures Committee, the female idol ended up leaving LE SSERAFIM, despite the company’s initial defense over her.

Dating

Yunjin & Basketball player: In late 2023, various sources claimed that Huh Yunjin was romantically linked to Lakers player Austin Reeves, with video shipping the two even going viral on TikTok. However, most people regard this rumor to be highly improbable, due to lack of evidence and interaction.

Yunjin & TXT’s Yeonjun: In 2024, various alleged “dating hints” of Huh Yunjin and TXT’s Yeonjun were uncovered, including the two’s interaction, supposed “couple items”, and a Spotify account said to belong to Yunjin with artwork similar to the female idol’s style. However, most fans believe this to be baseless accusations, and the two idols’ side never spoke up regarding the rumors.